Program for Especially Gifted Students
by TheImaginativeFox
Summary: At Gotham Acadmy there is a program for especially gifted students. And one of the programs involve training to become heros. Dick Grayson is in this program, and as he goes through his own problems, he meets a girl who can help him through his as she goes through her own. Can they help each before something bad happens? Look inside to find out, you won't regret it. R&R please :)
1. Skipping Class

** I'm back and I have a new story for all you wonderful readers. Please leave a review of what you thought, and follow and favorite, it would make me so happy. Okay, on with the story.**

** Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

" Dick, your school called. We need to talk," Bruce yelled from behind my door.

" One minute," I said as I dragged myself out of bed and opened the door," What?"

" You got a call, or more of a warning." He said with a look on his face that showed he was mad.

" What exactly was this warning?" I said hoping he didn't know what had happened.

" Skip any classes lately?" He said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. I didn't respond, I just looked at the floor.

" Dick, I know you're upset about something, but you can't do this, okay? You could've gotten hurt, or," Bruce started. I could tell he wanted to talk about why I snuck out last night, not the fact that I skipped class.

" But I didn't, okay? I'm fine, and I can handle myself." I said looking up from the floor.

" You're not telling me something." He said as he guided me over to my bed and we sat down." What's going on with you?"

" It's nothing. I was just messing around." I said trying to avoid his gaze. Some of my friends skipped class with me yesterday. I don't really know why I'm so mad. I'm just annoyed, I had to get out for a day.

" I know you're mad about something, but that's still no excuse. Is it something with school? I don't know what I'm going to do with you." He said in a disappointed tone.

" I'm sorry, I don't know what's going on." I said. He put a hand on my shoulder in a sympathetic way. I couldn't help but flinch, there's a chance I might've gotten hurt yesterday.

" Ahh," I hissed quietly, but it was still heard.

" What's wrong?" He asked quickly.

" Nothing, it's fine." I said trying to ignore the pain in my shoulder. I went out late last night to blow off some extra steam.

" Dick," Bruce said in a warning voice.

" Really I'm fine," I said getting up and trying to leave. He grabbed my arm and pulled me back down." Ahh," I moaned out as he pulled up my sleeve.

" Did you think I just wouldn't notice?" He asked in a loud voice as he further examined my shoulder.

" Stay here, I'm getting Alfred." He said in a calm voice.

When he left I started thinking about the past few weeKs. The anniversary of my parents death was two weeks ago. Someone found out, they found out about how they were killed. They didn't know where or how exactly, only that I watched it happen. I got really mad. All day after school and before school, they were making comments. I ignored them, until he confronted me.

*_Flashback*_

_" So, tell us Dick, what's it like to be a failure? I heard that you let them die. You did nothing. I mean, even if they were murdered, you didn't help with the case or try to save them. You just sat there and cried." He taunted._

_" Shut up." I said walking away._

_" What's wrong Dicky? Did I hit a nerve?" He laughed and pushed me to the ground._

_" Leave me alone." I said trying to get a grip on myself._

_" Not going to cry, are we?" He said._

_" That's it," I yelled as I kicked him and he fell to the ground. I got on top of him and started punching him, and he punched back. He flipped me over and got on me as his group gathered closer. Then his group came on top of me. It was too many, and I was alone. The problem was, I didn't care. I felt I deserved it. So I let it happen. I gave a few good punches here and there, but in the end, I didn't care._

_ The fight was broken up, and we were left with bruises and bloody noises. It was during lunch hour and I was heading to the pizza place to meet up with some friends. So, because we were off school grounds, it went unnoticed. After that, I told my friends part of what happened, so we skipped._

_ * End of Flashback*_

They had been taunting me all week about it, yesterday I finally snapped. Later that night I went out alone, I was running and jumping. I did flips and punched a few walls. It was raining and I couldn't see very well, when I went to flip off of a roof to the ground, I fell and landed on my shoulder. When I got home I went to bed hoping they wouldn't notice.

I was lost in thought when he came back with Alfred.

" You can't skip classes. I know this isn't usually a problem, but this is a great school. Besides, with your activity, you can't risk it. Do you not want to go anymore?" He asked me as Alfred started to examine my shoulder. I go to Gotham Academy, but during second block, I go to a program for the Especially Gifted Students.

" No I like it, I get a challenge. I've just been dealing with some other stuff," I said trying to ignore the pain in my shoulder.

" Is it your parents?" He asked.

" Not really," I said.

" Then what?" He asked as he gave me an understanding look. I didn't want to tell him, but I had to. I didn't want him to find out some other way.

" Some people know."

" Know who you are?"

" They don't know I'm Robin. They know about my parents." I said trying to say it in a casual voice.

" About what?" Bruce said sitting back down next to me.

" Oh, just that they know they were killed and that I let it happen." I said quietly.

" You didn't let it happen, Dick. How did they find out?" He asked trying to make sure my secret identity was still safe. The school I go to is for advanced students. It also has classes for especially gifted students. It's an undercover program to help students with the potential to join the Justice League or something like that. They teach us how to enhance our talents. Super abilities and super powers. Basically, it's hero prep.

We all wear these rings during the class so that we can't tell who's who. It's a pretty cool system. They also have them for people who have normal talents, just minus the rings. They have stuff like art, drama, sports, and stuff like that. So nobody can tell if you have a different class. It just says Especially Gifted Students, or EGS, class. When you get your schedule, they tell you which classroom you're in personally and give you a ring (depending on your class, of course). Like I said, cool system.

" I don't know. They don't even know who my parents are, maybe they just found out they were killed and went along with it." I said quietly.

" Well, it doesn't matter. I am going to look into it just to be sure. Are you okay?" He asked, noticing the look I was trying to pass off as casual.

" I'll be fine." I said in a monotone voice.

" Well, your shoulder isn't dislocated, but you probably knew that. But your arm however, has a minor fracture and your shoulder has major bruising. I wrapped it and I want you to wear it in a sling for a few days so it heals properly. " Alfred piped in as he bandaged it and put a sling around it.

" Okay, thanks Alfred." I said getting up and headed downstairs. It was the weekend, and I was meeting up with a friend later. I had to get out of here for a while.

* * *

** I hope you enjoyed it, I would love if you checked out my two other stories if you haven't read them yet. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	2. Pushing Too Hard

**Thanks to everyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and left a favorite!**

**Dark Sides: Thank you for the review :)**

**ThisIsWheretheNameGoes: Thanks for the review, and I'm glad that I got the personality right :)**

** Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

I woke up early that Monday morning, and I just laid there. I didn't feel like getting up. I felt good, though. My arm was still a little sore from the bruising, and what we thought was a fracture just turned out to be a bad sprain. We found this out when he reexamined it with some X-rays yesterday, I got out of the sling and am now wearing a brace. Lucky me. The good thing is, I will be out of it in two or three days.

I thought about training, I would probably have to skip. I guess I could use it as a free period and head to the library to finish up my project. I have to write a paper on the start of WWII. It shouldn't take too long, but I forgot to do it this weekend.

As I continued to lay there, I heard my alarm go off. I turned it off and got ready to leave. I headed downstairs and breakfast was already on the table.

" Good morning, master Richard, sleep well?" Alfred asked.

" Morning Alfred, where's Bruce?" I asked noticing his absence.

" He had to take care of some things before work." He answered as he left me to eat.

" Got it," I said as I got up and headed towards the batcave.

" Morning, Dick. Shouldn't you be on your way to school?" He asked me as he looked over some files.

" I have a few minutes. What are you working on?" I asked trying to look at the file.

" The Justice League asked me to look at some new students coming in, see if they have some potential." He said as he put them down.

" Any winners?" I asked trying to avoid heading off to school.

" A few. Now go to school, I'm already late for work." He said getting up and heading out. I followed behind him, and then he turned and said," Be good, no skipping, okay?"

" Fine." I said as I got into the backseat and Alfred drove off. Soon, we had reached the building, and I got out of the car.

" Hey, Richard." Victor said as I got out of the car. I was messing with my ring, we all had them. Another way to make sure no one could tell.

" Hi, Victor. Where's Gar?" I asked looking around.

" Talking with some new kids. Telling lame jokes as usual," He said.

" Hi, Gar." I said as he approached.

" Hey, dudes. So, you busy later?" He asked with a glint in his eye.

" When am I ever busy, what did you have in mind?" Victor asked him.

" Well, since you want to know, the new Mega Monkeys is coming out today, and I plan on kicking your butt." He said with a grin.

" Oh, you're on!" Victor responded.

" Are you going to come over, or are you busy?" He said with a bit of sarcasm.

" I have to go to some boring speech thing with Bruce tonight." I said sadly.

" I'm sure you'll have tons of fun. Besides, you get to wear a monkey suit!" He said as he laughed to himself.

" I know, I'm just so lucky." I responded as we headed into the building. Victor and Garfield were close, I just tagged along sometimes.

We went our separate ways, we wouldn't see each other until lunch. I was feeling fine, so I figured I should go to training today and go to the library during lunch. Besides, training was a fun and mostly easy. I just wouldn't push so hard.

OooOooOooOooOooOooO

" Richard," I heard the teacher call my name.

" Uh, oh, here," I said quietly.

" Thank you, and for future reference, this is a place of learning not dreaming." She said and then began calling names once again.

The class got boring pretty fast. She went over the project a little bit. I didn't really pay attention, because I already knew what I was going to do. After she finished, she put in a movie on the effects WWII had on people. I had already read something about it, so I was able to get lost in my thoughts.

I started to play with my ring. I wondered if everyone was disguised for whichever EGS program they were in. That would be cool. Then no one would know what they did. And no one could use you based on your talent, and no one would find out about hero prep.

We all got to pick names too, as long as it was approved. I went by Ace. I had brown wavy hair and was more muscular and a little taller. This didn't change my weight, height, ability, or muscle strength. Which was cool, but I wouldn't mind being taller or more muscular. Just saying.

The instructors had the same program. We didn't know who they were. My instructor was called Cosmos. He was tan and had short black hair. I couldn't really compare him much more, since I didn't know what he really looked like.

I was lost in thought when the bell rang. I quickly got up, and when it was clear, turned my ring and I changed. It did this when you pushed and turned, it scanned your finger print too. I got in my class and looked for Cosmos.

It was a small class. It had a fair teacher to student ratio. I found him and walked up to him. He said that he heard my arm was a little sore, and he didn't want me to push it. I nodded, but I was annoyed. I didn't need to take it easy, I felt fine. I wish Bruce would stop treating me like a kid.

" Are you even listening? Ace?" Cosmos asked as he stared at me.

" Yeah, don't push it, got it. Can we start now?" I asked trying not to sound too annoyed.

" Alright. Simulator, hand to hand combat, or training?" He asked. I thought it over, and decided with training. I could control how far I went that way. I wouldn't push it, I knew what I could handle.

" Training. I'll get a mat and spring," I said heading to get the stuff. I also grabbed a foam box that I could do flips off of. There was also this cool set up were you could do jumps and stuff from spot to spot. So, I set up my equipment next to it. Cosmos came over and gave me the signal to start.

I started with a few flips for a warm up, some aerials, and stuff like that. Then I got on the course. I flipped over the objects, knocked objects over and flipped down from higher places, and climbed up. When I hot to the last part, I felt really exhausted. But I knew if I gave up I wouldn't be able to go on. So I finished it with just a flip, I slipped a little towards the end, but figured it wouldn't look too bad. That was until I heard him yelling.

" Ace! Watch your landing, and your form!" He yelled. I looked down, but it was too late. I didn't propel myself high enough, and my form sucked. I was going to land on my side. I tried to save myself, but it was too late.

I landed on my elbow, hard. And to make it better, it was the banged up arm. I hoped it wasnt broken, or worse, dislocated. Everything went in slow motion. I heard a scream and realized it was mine. I tried to stop it as soon as it came, but once again, I was too late.

" Ahh!" I yelled. I quickly stopped and tried to sit up, which made it worse.

" Ace, I told you not to push it. Come on, let's get that arm checked out." He said helping me up. I went in the locker room and changed back before I headed to the nurses office.

OooOooOooOooOooO

" Good news and bad news." Said the nurse as she started to check it out." Which do you want first?"

" Does it really matter, just tell me," I said annoyed.

" Well, since your arm was already injured, it was more prone to injury. It looks like you had a sprain but it was putting strain on your bones, making it look like a small fracture. So, when you fell, it did fracture. You're gonna to need some X-rays and most likely a cast." She concluded and headed towards the phone.

I had already switched back. The story was, I was climbing a tree on my free period and slipped. She gave me a look, so I mentioned I was trying to get something that had been thrown into the tree and it fell out and knocked me down. I could tell she thought it was something more, but didn't question it any further.

When she got off the phone, I asked," what exactly was the good news?"

" Oh, yes, well you get out of school for the rest of the day. Mr. Wayne said he would meet you at the hospital and Alfred will pick you up." The nurse concluded as she opened the door. I headed to the office to wait for Alfred.

I felt like an idiot. I slipped on the mat, that doesn't happen to me. And I really did think my arm was fine. I guess I was kind of mad that Bruce told them I needed to go easy. I mean, I can handle myself. After this, he probably won't trust my judgment on how I'm feeling. I will probably be out of hero prep for the rest of the week. Plenty of time to work on my project, I guess.

* * *

** I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts. If I can make it better, or if you like it the way it is. Love the support. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	3. Take It Easy

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and left a favorite!**

**Dark Sides: Thanks for the review, and I will continue to write it as it is :)**

** Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

I sat there in the office waiting for Alfred to get here. I assumed we would just go to the batcave and not the hospital. My arm still hurt, but I could tolerate it. The nurse gave me some ice to put on my bruised shoulder. It was cold, but it was better than the pulsing pain that would surge through it.

My arm was starting to feel numb. I wasn't looking forward to setting my arm for a cast. I knew it would be painful. I have injured myself before, never very serious. I've had sprains and bruises. A broken wrist and a dislocated ankle. Most of these were all results of either crime fighting or the circus, where I grew up.

Then Alfred walked in, and we headed out. The car ride home was quiet. I could see Alfred looking in the mirror to make sure I was okay. I wondered if Bruce told him what had happened. Probably. I would have to talk with Bruce about it. I didn't even think about being kicked off of night watch for a while.

I would have to convince him that it was just an accident and not result from previous injury. Even though, the previous injury did make this one worse. But that wasn't entirely my fault. But I didn't want to talk about the fact that I willingly allowed a group of people to pound me. And then after that, I snuck out to blow off steam. I figured he knew I snuck out, but he wasn't talking about it. He probably would now.

We pulled up and headed towards the batcave. Alfred got the X-ray and set it up. He told me we were going to wait for Bruce. I could already feel his gaze on me. He came down not too long after we got here.

" I thought you weren't going to train today?" He asked as he gave me his signature 'I'm disappointed in you' look.

" I felt fine, besides, I was going to get the brace off tomorrow anyway," I said trying to plead my case.

" And now you made it worse." He said still looking at me. Alfred took the ice and I laid down as he started examining my arm.

" I didn't mean to, I just, my form was a little off." I could tell that he knew I wasn't being completely honest." I had a private session,"

" You weren't suppose to go in today. Dick, what's going on?" He asked me. I could tell he was worried about me. There really wasn't anything to it. Well, I guess I was still a little upset about the past few weeks. And the fact that he's treating me like I'm a child.

And in addition to all of this, he didn't think I could handle myself. He had to step in. I wasn't even going to try to do a normal practice until I heard that he said something. Maybe there is something wrong. And maybe I did lose it a little and push it too hard. But I don't even care.

" I'm sorry, I thought I could handle it," I regretted saying the words after they left my mouth.

" Maybe you should let me talk to your instructor and we can set up your training, if any, for the rest of the week." He said as he rubbed his temples.

" No! I mean, I can handle myself. I'm not a little kid you know," I said.

" I know, but that doesn't mean I don't worry about you. And if you can't stop doing something for one or two days, then maybe you need a little more outside control." He said it in the nicest way you can say something like that.

" No I don't."

" Then, explain this. And if you could, explain what's been going on the past few weeks! You keep making rash decisions, and I know you're neglecting school. You haven't even started on your project. And you got injured. When you're injured you need to wait things out, but you didn't. Are you trying to prove something?" He asked me in a concerned yet strong voice.

" No, I'm not. And nothing has been going on this week." I said avoiding his gaze.

" Dick, I'm a detective, I know you're lying." He said. When I didn't respond he continued." Look, if you don't tell me I'm going to find out." Still, I said nothing." I know you're not a kid, but if you keep acting like one then I will treat you as one. I don't know what's wrong, but I'm sorry you think you can't tell me. Just tell me when you're ready." He said, I could tell in his voice he was sorry he couldn't help.

But I didn't want to tell him. Not yet. How would I even start a conversation like that? Oh hey Bruce, can I talk to you? Well, I was upset about some stuff people were saying to me. We got in a fight and it just got to me. I had it with everything, and didn't care anymore. So I let them beat me up, which is why I skipped class. Then, that night I snuck out and did some stuff to blow off some steam. My arm was already injured and I didn't care. I just kept going at it until my arm gave out. I Jumped and missed the pole I was jumping to and fell on my side hitting my elbow. I already felt like such a loser and fell back against a brick wall and just sat there and cried until I felt like coming home. So yeah. Oh, and you're treating me like a kid, so if you could stop, that would be nice. Oh, and what are we having for dinner? Because, I think I missed lunch.

No I can't, that just sounds stupid. Besides, it would lead to more questions and fewer answers. And as I thought it over, I realized it would probably sound like I hurt myself intentionally. Which wasn't entirely true. I mean, yes I did throw myself against a wall. But that was out of anger. I didn't know my elbow would hit it that hard. It just did. And when I jumped off the building, I just didn't catch myself properly because I was pushing it. I knew I was, I guess I should have stopped, but I didn't, and when I missed the pole I just felt like even more of a failure.

" Fractured, I'm going to set it now. Bruce could you help me?" Alfred asked making me lose my train of thought.

" Yeah, what do you need?" Bruce asked giving me one last look.

" Just hold his arm steady, and give him this." Alfred said handing him a syringe. It was just supposed to numb my arm a little. When it started working, Alfred set my arm. It still hurt, but it would be fine. He put it in a cast, it was more of a brace though. I started headed up to my room, and then Bruce stopped me.

" I'm sorry," was all he said.

" It's fine, it was my fault." I said turning around.

" No, I should have talked to you or something." He said.

" Knowing me, I probably wouldn't have even listened." I said giving him a small smile.

" Probably, but I don't want you to feel alone or like I don't care." Bruce said.

" It's fine, besides, I did it because I was angry. It had nothing to do with you." I said.

" Why were you mad then?" He asked me.

" It's stupid, it was just some other kids. No big deal." I said.

" What happened?" He asked.

" Nothing, they just said some stupid things."

" Is that why you skipped class?"

" Kind of. They stopped me from going to class, they started a fight. And I decided I needed to cool off a bit." I said.

" So why did you leave the house the other night?"

" Blow off the rest of it I guess. It was dark and I was tired. I was trying to jump to a pole and I missed. I fell on my elbow, and my shoulder was already bruised from the fight. So I just stayed out and thought things over before I came home and went to bed." I said, leaving out some of it and hoping he was done interrogating me.

" That makes sense. But why were you in a fight in the first place? You didn't start it, did you?" He asked the question and it took me a second to think about what to say.

" I didn't start it. They were just being stupid. They said stupid things all weak and then thought they could all get together and beat me up." I said trying to get off the topic. I was too vague, and he knew something was up.

" And how did that go? If your shoulder was bruised, what happened?" He asked as he looked me over.

" Nothing, I let them have their fun. I didn't really care. It's not like they were good at fighting, anyway. They got a few good punches and left. I thought it best to leave it, I didn't want to risk an expulsion." I said trying to sound logical.

" Still, you could've used some self-defense. Thanks for telling me. I guess you had it under control." He said.

" So, I'm off the hook?" I asked hopefully.

" Yes and no. You told me what happened and it sounds fine, well, how you handled it. Even if you did leave out some things. But your judgment after the fact was wrong and you pushed it when you knew you shouldn't." He said in a steady voice.

" But I can," I started.

" Handle yourself, I know. But I think you just need a break. Get your focus and judgment back. Just for the rest of the week. Then we'll talk about it." He said and started to leave.

" Wait, a break from what?" I asked in an unsteady voice.

" Training, missions, night watches. That sort of thing. You need a break, besides, your arm won't be of much use in hand to hand." He said.

" I guess not, but what about training?"

" After what happened? If you want me to stop treating you like a kid that can't handle himself, then you need to learn how to accept orders and just deal with the fact you messed up and move on." He said.

" Okay, I get it. I'll take it easy this week. I didn't even want to do any of that stuff this week." I said as I walked away.

" If you're going to lie, you cold at least make it sound real. And it's only a week," Bruce said as I closed the door.

" Maybe you should take a break too," I said quietly.

" I know when I need to stand down, but I have a job, and I'm in a place where I can do that without putting harm to myself and team." He said.

" I'm sorry, I didn't mean," I started.

" It's fine, just think of it as a little vacation." He said and he walked downstairs. I looked out my window and saw him head off for work. He waved at me, and I waved back. Even if I was still mad, if I wanted him to trust me to make my own decisions, I would have to take it easy.

* * *

** I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts. If I can make it better, or if you like it the way it is. Love the support. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	4. Your Choice

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and left a favorite!**

**Thanks to:**

**Aliasin for the favorite! Chigatana, ****DC'sBirds1031, ****Ever Winter Wood****, ****theta 117, and mavlovesblu for following my story! Let me know what you guys thought about my last chapter, I love reading what you guys think :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

When I woke up the next morning, I quickly turned off my alarm and got ready. I didn't get to go on night watch last night. I was upset, but at least Bruce won't bother me about what's been going on any more. Or, at least I hope he won't.

My probation is only for the rest of this week. But, if something happens, he'll let me know. I think. I just want him to trust me with stuff like this. He hasn't been acting himself recently. It's like he decided the life of crime is too dangerous or something. Or that he just doesn't want me as a partner. He treats me like a child. I do not act on impulse, all the time, anyway. I always think stuff over. Besides, whats he going to do? Replace me?

He wouldn't do that, he can't. Well if he does, I'll just start a solo act. I can do stuff on my own. I don't need him telling me what to do. I can handle myself. Maybe I'll start my own team. It would be a little difficult, considering I live with him. But then I could get all of his missions and files, it would just take a little hacking.

When I realized what time it was, I quickly ran downstairs. I grabbed my bag and waited in the car. When Alfred got in the car, Bruce was with him. I thought this was odd, because he usually goes to work before or after I go to school.

" Why are you coming with us today? I thought you didn't have to leave early today," I started to say, but then Alfred gave me a look that said I didn't really want to know.

" Well, I don't, but I wanted to get out this morning before I left. Why, is that a problem?" Bruce asked me. I knew he was hiding something.

" No, just curious is all." I said not wanting to get into a long conversation.

" Why didn't you come down for breakfast?" Bruce asked me offhandedly.

" Not hungry." I said keeping it a little closed from detail. I wasn't feeling well, I didn't know what it was, I didn't feel like getting into it.

" Master Richard, if you are hungry, we could get you something," Alfred said.

" I'm fine, Alfred. I'm not hungry, and I have an early lunch." I told him. This put Alfred at ease, even though I had lunch at a normal time, it wasn't exactly what you would call early. But they moved on, it was quiet for a while, until we pulled up to my school.

" Have a good day," Bruce said, he waited until he thought I couldn't see him, and then he too got out of the car. I didn't know if I should approach him about it or not, I decided against it, and headed into the building.

" Hey, Gar. Is Victor here?" I asked noticing his absence.

" Hi, Dick. He's here, but he's busy." He said keeping in a laugh.

" What did you do?" I asked him.

"_ I_ didn't do anything, but _he _ got a little held up trying to sneak in Mega Monkeys 3." Garfield finished with a smirk.

" Why did you bring it in?" I asked a little excited.

" During lunch we were going to play, so he was trying to hook it up in an unused computer room. We thought it would be fine, since nobody went in there." He concluded proud of himself for thinking of the idea.

" So did he get in trouble?" I asked.

" No, but we heard someone coming, so our plan was delayed."

" Then how did you get here?"

" I was able to get away, I'm suppose to be finding you," He said, they knew I was good with computers. So was Victor, but I did things a little...differently.

" Let's go then," I said as we walked into the building to find Victor.

" Which room?" I asked.

" Right over here," he said. He opened the door and called out for Victor.

" Are you still here?" Gar asked him. Giggling was heard.

" Kori, is that you?" I asked recognizing the giggle. We went on a date a while back, it didn't work out, but we were both happy that we tried it, and even happier that we are just friends. Or at least, I am. She seems to be cool with it.

" Oh, yes, friend Richard." Kori said, she's not from around here, so expressions and her speech is a little off. She's still cool to hang out with, though." Our two other friends thought I was a teacher, it was very funny. We heard you coming, so me and friend Victor hid." She said as she and Victor stepped out of a closet.

" Oh, I thought you said this was okay?" I asked Garfield.

" Just taking precautions. Why, not worried you'll get into trouble, are you Dick?" He asked with a bit of taunting in his voice.

" No, I'm not. My record is clean. Unlike yours and all of your pranks," I said.

" Hey, you helped with those. And I'll only got caught, like, twice. And that was last year." He said defending himself.

" It's all set up, we should probably get to first block," Victor said as he stood up and started heading for the door. We all followed. I fell behind to go by the office and see what Bruce was up too.

I saw him talking to a teacher, Bruce was in disguise, I was able to recognize him since I had seen this one before. Bruce was talking to Cosmos. He was probably making sure I didn't go to my class. This was unfair, I mean, I wasn't going anyways. He didn't have to check up on me. I started walking away, until I heard his voice behind me.

" Is everything okay?" Bruce asked me after he changed back when no one was looking, good thing everyone was already headed to class.

" Fine, I was just going to class." I said turning around, I was glad that Cosmos wasn't around anymore.

" I'm not checking up on you, I was just telling Cosmos that if you went to class, to make sure you didn't push it or try anything." He said trying to make it sound like it was fine, but I couldn't help but feel like he was keeping something from me.

" Whatever, I wasn't going anyway," I said turning back around.

" I know, but if you want to later in the week, I wanted him to know. It's your choice." He said. He was trying to make up for treating me like a child yesterday, but I knew he really meant it was my choice. I was glad, but still a little mad at him.

" Okay, thanks. I have to go, or I'll be late." I said walking off. I heard him say goodbye, but I just continued to walk off.

* * *

** I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts. Love the support. How often do you think I should update? How I'm a doing it, sooner, later? Let me know. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	5. New Faces

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and left a favorite!**

**Thanks to:**

**Dark Sides and jemma16 for the favorites and follows!**

** I'm having a little contest, details are at the bottom. Enjoy the chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

Before I knew it, it was second block. I decided I would go to the library and finish up that essay, and maybe do a little investigating. First, I needed to go into the training room to tell Cosmos I wouldn't be training. Even though, he already knew.

" Hey, Cosmos," I said walking over to him.

" Ace," he nodded," Did you want to train today? Because, if you do, we can just keep it light." He said. I found this odd, because I thought Bruce talked to him.

" No, my mentor and I decided it would be best not to. I thought he told you?" I asked a little suspicious.

" No, he didn't. But, do you know when you will be back?" He asked.

" Next week, why?" I asked looking at him a little confused.

" We are going to start something new. It will involve working with others in the group with different abilities. I can't say any more, I've been sworn to secrecy." He said with a small smile.

" Wait, like teams?"

" Maybe, but that's all I'm saying. Do you need a pass?" He asked me trying to change the subject.

" Um yeah," I said, and he started to write them out.

" Alright, here are some for the rest of the week." He handed them to me and I walked away. This was going to be so cool! I was going to be on a team. I wonder who will get to be leader? Who will be on the team? And my probation will be over, things were looking good. I should talk to Bruce about it.

When I got to the library, there was someone else there. I didn't recognize her. She must've been one of the new entries. I decided I would introduce myself. I walked over and noticed she was reading.

" Hi, I'm Richard Grayson. What's your name?" After I said it, I realized how childish it sounded.

" Like the Richard Grayson who lives with Bruce Wayne?" She said looking up for a split second and then looking down at her book again.

" Yeah, but you didn't answer my question." I said it with a light voice as I sat down next to her.

" Sure, why don't you sit right here. We can talk about life, and get to know each other," she said sarcastically.

" Sarcasm, I like it, so your name?" I asked again.

" I'm really not in the mood to play this game, and just because you live with a billionaire, doesn't mean everyone will automatically like you," she said. Her words hurt a little. I was just trying to be nice.

There was silence for a while, then I continued," I'm not some spoiled brat. And I wasn't trying to make you my friend, I was just trying to be nice. Look, if you want me to leave, I'll go. I didn't mean to be rude." I said a little sad, and started to stand up.

" Rachael." She said.

" What?" I asked, I didn't hear her very well.

" My name, it's Rachael." She started. She had put her book down," I didn't mean to be rude either. I'm just a little closed off, you can stay if you want. It's a nice place to read."

" I'm sorry too, I guess I overreacted a little. I won't bother you, I just needed to finish up an essay." I said smiling and sitting back down.

" What's your essay on?" She asked. I could tell she was trying to be nice.

" World War two. Are you new?" I asked. I didn't think I knew her.

" Yes, I am. I got a scholarship, from the school, actually they said Bruce Wayne funds a lot of the scholarships." Rachael said.

" He sponsors the school a lot. He thinks it's a great thing, the programs and all, I like your ring by the way." I wondered which EGS she was in.

" Oh, thanks. You know their all the same. It's cool how they change your appear and for whichever EGS class you're in." She said.

" Oh, yeah, I guess they do. How did you know that?" I asked.

" I just asked them why we had rings, and they told me. It makes it so official. I also heard that it's like we're protégés, so they want to protect our identities if we decide to do it or not when we're older." Rachael concluded.

" One of the great things about the school. You're really smart, is that how you got in?" I asked her.

" We aren't suppose to tell, and I really don't want to. But, if it makes any difference, I had a screening like everyone else. And I got in on more than one section." She finished picking her book back up.

" A lot of people do. You have to pass a certain amount of systems to even qualify. You must be talking about the scholarship. You need more talent for those." I said.

" It doesn't really matter anyway. Did you get a scholarship? Since you're so interested." She said with a hint of sarcasm and a soft smile. I didn't know what to say. Because I did, but I didn't want her to think I got it because my guardian donates to the scholarships." You can tell me, I won't laugh."

" Okay, I did get one. They decide during the test, though. And they didn't know who I was." I said.

" Well, they don't give them to anyone, and I don't think they just hand them out. Especially to those who can afford it. So, good for you." She said in a monotone, yet sincere voice.

" Cool, so, where are you from?" I asked happy that she was letting me talk to her.

" Why do you want to know?" Rachael asked as she turned the page in her book.

"Just curious," I said a little defensively.

" Curiosity isn't always a good thing, you know, but it doesn't matter to me. I moved around a lot, I'm just here now because I got accepted." She said. She finished her book, and I finished my essay. She stood up to put her book back. I wanted to ask her why she moved around a lot, or where she had been. But I decided it was best not to.

" That's cool, do you want to have lunch with me and my friends?" I asked.

" Who are your friends?" She asked. Good, I think she might come.

" Just three other people. Victor Stone, his dad works at Star Labs, Garfield Logan, his parents were scientist, but he lives with a family friend now, and Kori Anders. Kori isn't from around here, so she's still getting used to things." I said," They're really great, you should meet them."

" I think I've talked to them before. I didn't ask for their life stories, but I might come anyway." She said as she started to walk out of the library.

" Great, see you at lunch then," I said waving to her.

" I didn't say yes, I said maybe." Rachael said.

" Okay, well, see you around then." I said walking in the opposite direction to get to class.

" Have it your way, then," she said with a bit of laughter at the end. I could live with that, she had a pretty cute laugh.

* * *

** I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts. Lets do something a little different. I want the new team to go on a mission, so I want you guys to leave an idea for one. Whoever wins will get the chapter dedicated to them and will get to read it first. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	6. New Friends

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and left a favorite!**

**I have to skip shout-outs today, but they will be back soon!**

** The contest is still open, details are at the bottom. Enjoy the chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

Rachael had eaten lunch with us the entire week. She didn't say much, but she was still very interesting. Kori was happy that she had another friend that was a girl who joined our group. Gar was happy that he had a new person to try some more jokes on, and Victor, well, he didn't like her at first, but now treats her like a little sister.

Overall, it had been a good week. But I was happy to be off probation, and I got my brace off yesterday. Tonight I was going back on night watch. I wouldn't have to watch Batgirl do all the cool missions as I stayed behind. She was fine with it of course, she had something she could hold against me. So I told her the only reason I stayed behind was because Batman wanted to work with her because she was falling behind. This got me a look from Batman, but it shut her up. I would probably pay for it tonight. But I didn't care, I was happy to be back on missions.

It was going to be a good week. And probation wasn't even that bad. I made a new friend, and she liked me for me. I wondered which EGS program she was in, but I knew better not to ask. I also wondered what kind of stuff I would do, since we were teaming up in hero prep. If we would go on real missions, or simulations. I also wondered who would be on the team, and how many teams there would be.

I could've asked Bruce, but I didn't. I wasn't even suppose to know. I wanted to go on the super computer, but I didn't want my probation extended. I was snapped out of my thought when I heard Alfred pull up with Bruce. I tried to contain my excitement about going out tonight. But I still ran down the stairs to greet him.

" Hey, Dick. How did your essay go?" He asked.

" I got an A, why do you ask?" I asked him. I never had problems with grades, it was kind of odd.

" Just wondering. I never saw you work on it." He said.

" I had a friend look it over," I said as we walked into the living room and sat down on the couch.

" So, are you excited about Monday?" He asked.

" Why?"

" I know you know about the teams. And, you'll get back to training. I thought you didn't like probation?" He asked me with a bit of testing in his voice.

" Yeah, I was wondering how it was going to work. I can't wait to be able to do something. It's been kind of boring this week, not being able to go on missions with you." I said.

" Batgirl is still coming on missions." He said.

" Figures, I thought she was busy though?" I asked.

" You're busy too. Besides, from what's been going on the past week, we'll need her." He said.

" What's been going on?" I asked.

" Threats, a couple of villains have been planning things. We think most of them are distractions for something else." He said.

" Why didn't you tell me?" I asked a little upset that I was in the dark about it.

" Next time, you might want to listen to orders, then you would know." He said.

" Sorry," I said.

" It's fine, I have to go. I just came to get some stuff for a meeting. I'll see you later tonight." He said as he got up. When he left, I started to think about Rachael.

She was great. I think I was starting to like her. I think she likes me. But I'm not sure if she likes me more than friends, besides, I don't want to risk a chance that she wouldn't talk to me any more. Even though that wouldn't happen, she's better than that, I should probably get to know her a little better first.

OooOooOooOooO

That night, we all went out to patrol. It was Batman, and then me and Batgirl. We were looking around Gotham for threats. The batwave was showing activity, but we couldn't find any. Until we got a call.

" Batgirl, Robin, downtown. It's Joker." Batman said.

" On our way," Batgirl responded. And then she gave me a concerned look.

" What? Upset that you won't be able to do anything since I'm back?" I teased.

" No, but Joker's different." She said with the same tone in her voice.

" I don't think he could be any more crazy than he already is," I said, I didn't like the way this was headed. She was nervous, and it was about me.

" I'll be fine, and so will you. I can watch your back. I have a little catching up to do." I said with confidence.

" Get over yourself," she said.

" You're just jealous," I said teasingly.

" Of what, your childish behavior? Or your bad fighting skills?" She teased again. It was getting back to normal, but things still felt odd.

" You wish," I said running ahead, and beating her to the crime scene. When we got there, Batman was looking around. Then I saw he had a note.

" What does it say," I asked running over to him.

" It says, don't forget about my offer." He said as he put it down.

" What offer?" I asked following him.

" It's not important. Let's split up," he said. He was avoiding something.

" This one's mine!" I heard Batgirl shout as she ran down a tunnel.

" And she says I'm childish," I said running and then jumping on top of a building.

We followed the three separate trails trying to find any hint of Joker. We found a few victims of the Joker gas, but not much else. Batgirl was right, he is different. New strategies, making deals, and he's cleaning up his act.

" We should head back to the cave, test this gas." He said holding up a tube.

" The antidote worked, why should we test it?" I asked.

" Because, genius, it did something different." She gave me a look that made her look her normal self again.

" And that would be what, oh great and powerful warrior?" I asked her.

" Do you see any cops, wonder how our radar isn't giving much information?" She asked me.

" Fine, I guess Batman's right, we should check it out." I said.

" We should probably go before the cops show up. If our signal was behind, their's can't be far behind." Batman said, and the three of drove off and headed towards the batcave.

* * *

** I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts. Lets do something a little different. I want the new team to go on a mission, so I want you guys to leave an idea for one. Whoever wins will get the chapter dedicated to them and will get to read it first. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	7. First Attack

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and left a favorite! I know the past few chapters haven't been that great, but I think you guys will like this one. It has a little more action, so let me know if you like it please.**

**I have to skip shout-outs today, but they will be back soon!**

** The contest is still open, details are at the bottom. Enjoy the chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

We headed back to the batcave. When we got there, Alfred was waiting.

" Back already? I take it the Joker was easy to handle, then?" He asked as he handed us something to drink.

" By the time we got there, we saw him run off. Ever since the last time we saw him, our systems have been a little messed up. I brought back some of his new gas to test on." Bruce said as he took his cowl off, we did the same.

" You two weren't sprayed with it," I said a little confused.

" No, but it was probably on our clothes. So even if it died out, that might not have been the full intention." Bruce explained.

" So, it's usual purpose died off, and the new one kicked in?" I asked.

" Duh," I heard Batgirl say from behind me. We put it in the machine and waited. On the computer, it showed some results.

" This is a little different. Since it's still in liquid form, it has the original effect, and something else." Batman said.

" Like what?" Batgirl and I asked in unison.

" A possibility to slow down signals, and it has a possibility to do something else. But it says it's undetected." Bruce continued as he labeled it and put it in a cabinet.

" Do you have an idea?" I asked.

" It has potential to slow those infected down." He continued.

" Like coordination?" I asked.

" Kind of. It slows down brain process. So it would do that, and you wouldn't know what's going on until a few seconds, or later stages, a few minutes after it had happened." He explained.

" That's not good." Barbara said.

" No kidding. But I thought it was infecting the signals?" I asked Bruce.

" It does, but it has potential to do it to people. I think tonight was a test run," he said.

And then, the batwave started going haywire. It was flashing and beeping. It almost looked like it was smoking.

" Get down!" Bruce yelled putting his cowl back on. We did the same as we flew to the ground. We crashed and landed behind some test products. It was starting to get hard to breathe. We had to move. I tried to get up, but it was no use. We started to help each other up before it exploded again. We were too late and Bruce pushed the two of us back down.

Alfred and Bruce where on top of us, and we were all coughing. I was losing consciouness, and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. I heard everyone gasping for breath. And then, someone put an air mask over my face, I noticed they did the same to Barbara. All I could hear was the Joker's laughter, and the rest of the computer blowing up and producing fire. I felt someone pick me up and start running away. That was the last thing I remembered.

OooOooOooOooOooO

I was startled a little when someone started to shake me. It felt weird, like I was somewhere else, and examining what was happening. It was a man, he was saying a name over and over again. There was another voice too. It was saying a different name. It only said it a few times, and then someone moaned. I tried to moan, but couldn't. I was in a state were I couldn't wake up, and I didn't really want to.

" Barbara is alright, and master Dick?" I heard the second voice say. It was far off in the distance, it sounded familiar. I heard someone come closer to me. It was trying to make me move again.

" Dick? Are you okay? Richard?" I heard a voice, but I couldn't recognize it. I was so tired, I just wanted to lay back down. This noise, it kept repeating itself, trying to get my attention. I didn't know why, I couldn't remember anything. All I wanted to do was sleep.

" If you can hear me, I need you to answer, okay? Come on Dick, wake up." The voice was calm, it started shaking me. I tried to open my eyes, but it was so hard. I was exhausted. My body wasn't reacting. I tried again, and I was able to open my eyes, but I couldn't focus, and I felt numb, almost like my body was asleep.

" What happened?" I tried to say as I also tried to sit up. When I heard my own voice, it was like a mumble, or a plea for help. I tried to push myself up so I could see better. Then I was pushed back down.

" Just relax, okay?" I tried to nod, but I could barely move." He's going to be okay."

" What happened?" I heard a third voice say, this one was younger, and female. I still couldn't focus on anything, so I closed my eyes.

" The gas, it had the potential effect in lesser form. It was on our clothes, and when it was released, it started exploding. The gas slowed us down. When I remembered the masks, you were almost knocked out, and we couldn't get Dick to come to." He said.

" Is he okay?" She asked a little concerned walking over to where I was lying.

" He'll be fine, just needs to get back to reality. I feel bad, it slowed me down so much, I forgot everything. It effected you guys more. I don't know how it works, I ran some tests on myself and Alfred, and I want to do one on you and Dick." He explained. It was Bruce! And I'm Richard, and that's Alfred, and she's Barbara, but I still don't know were we are.

" We're still recovering from the gas, but I think I know how to make an antidote. I'm already running some tests to get it, so that we can use it on ourselves." He explained.

" What about the note?" Barbara asked. I started to moan again.

" Not now," Bruce said quietly, as he tried to help me sit up." Are you okay?"

" Yeah," I said. I looked around, we were in the living room. I closed my eyes and leaned against Bruce, I didn't know what was happening, and I was having a hard time concentrating.

" It reminds me of Vertigo, and how he made you ill. It effected children more than adults. How did that work?" Alfred asked.

" Good thinking Alfred. That effected younger people more because they weren't fully developed, so they are naturally more prone to illness. I'll try to find how they're connect." Bruce said.

" But this is a gas, and it doesn't make you very ill, as much as it slows you down." Said Barbara.

" Yes, but it makes you feel like you don't have control and can't do anything. It makes you confused," Alfred explained.

" You both have good points, and I think, since it came from the floor, Dick did get more of it than we did. It leaked out next to him right before we moved." Bruce explained." I should have known that would've happened." He said angrily.

" Do not blame yourself, master Bruce, you three were already infected slightly from the residue at the scene of the crime." Alfred said.

" I know Alfred, it's just, the entire thing. What Joker's planning, what he wants," Bruce continued in a quiet voice that I could barley make out, and I was so tired.

" We aren't going to let that happen, why don't you just put him on probation again?" Barbara asked.

" He barely let it happen last time. I'm sure he already suspects something's up. And besides, then the Joker might just make his move." He finished. I couldn't understand what they were talking about. I knew it was important, so I tried to connect it, but I couldn't concentrate. I had to wake up, move around a little.

" Are you awake?" I heard someone ask me. I had been half asleep as I listened to their conversation.

" Yeah, what happened?" I asked glad that I could string words together again.

" Joker gas, here take this. It'll help," He put a mask over my face and I started to breath in to it. Eventually, I could see and think clearly again. It wasn't as slow anymore, still slow, but better than it was, so I didn't complain.

" Master Dick, do you feel alright now?" Alfred asked.

" Yeah, fine. Are you guys okay?" I asked taking the mask off and coughing a little.

" We're fine," Barbara said." Next time, you might not want to breathe in that much gas."

" It wasn't my fault, besides, I heard you were out pretty good too. And you got a mask on before I did, and you weren't next to the explosion of gas." I said with a bit of taunting in my voice.

" Whatever helps you sleep at night," she said and then patted me on the head.

" Hey!" I started.

" Come on guys, we should probably all get some sleep. Alfred, can you drive Barbara home?" Bruce asked.

" Yes, I will be back shortly." We all got up and walked them to the door.

" Good first day back?" Bruce asked.

" One of the best," I said, and we both laughed." At least I have something to do now."

When Alfred got back, Bruce sent me to bed. I usually would have said something about it, but I was really tired. Besides, I wanted to go and get pizza with some friends tomorrow. And hopefully, Rachael would come. I fell asleep, and was peaceful. I didn't even think about the earlier events.

* * *

** I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts. Lets do something a little different. I want the new team to go on a mission, so I want you guys to leave an idea for one. Whoever wins will get the chapter dedicated to them and will get to read it first. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	8. More Than Friends

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and left a favorite! **

**I have to skip shout-outs again today, but they will be back soon!**

** The contest is still open, but this is the last chapter it will be open, so please leave your ides I love to hear them. The details are at the bottom. Enjoy the chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

When I woke up that morning, I was confused. I looked at the clock for a little, and then realized it was Sunday. I was going to be late to go meet my friends. I remembered I still had to get Rachael. I was going to go to her house and surprise her, hopefully, she won't kill me.

I quickly got dressed and pulled my shoes on, and then I ran downstairs. I thought over the way to her house in my head, I had walked her home a few times. She probably knew I was coming, I had been hinting. I hope she will come, she's all I can think about.

I can't really think straight, it's like I was suppose to remember something, or there was something important that I'm forgetting. As I started to run to the door, Bruce stopped me.

" Going somewhere?" He asked as he greeted me with a smile.

" I was going to meet some friends for lunch." I said.

" It's eleven, you can wait a little." He said guiding me to the couch.

" Is something wrong?" I asked as looked at him suspiciously.

" No, I just wanted to make sure you're okay," Bruce said calmly.

" I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?" I asked confused.

" Do you remember what happened last night?" He asked.

" Kind of, I know I blacked out for a bit." I said trying to remember the details." And you guys were worried, and the gas was different."

" Anything else?" He asked me.

" No, why?" I asked.

" No reason really, but you, said something a little odd." He said.

" Like what?" I asked him.

" When you first woke up, we thought you were asking for help or something. I was confused this morning, so I looked over some tapes." He stopped, and I got a little nervous. What did say? Was it about Rachael? Or what happened?

" What did I say?"

" Nothing important, we couldn't fully make it out. You laughed a lot, and made some kind of threat I think. But I'm not sure what," he said this, but he was keeping something from me.

" It was the fumes, not me, so what's the problem?" I asked.

" I just wondered if you knew," he kept pausing, like he was trying to tell me something.

" Well," I said.

" Well, maybe you should take another break, just for a while." He said quickly.

" I don't need a break. I have control, and I wasn't the only one who was blasted. You were too." I said.

" I know, but we don't know how it worked or what the future effects will be." He said quietly.

" Well, if something's wrong, I'll tell you." I said giving him my usual smile.

" Will you?" I didn't answer. He was, concerned or upset. He sounded worried.

" Fine, you can come, but not alone. You have to be with either me or Batgirl. At all times. And any order I give is not up for debate." He said getting up, and I did the same.

" I don't need a babysitter, but if that's what you want," I said.

" Just for a while, to make sure," he said," It's no big deal, just for a few days." He finished and headed for the study, and I headed outside. I started running. I was a little freaked out. It was like they weren't telling me something. Did I do something last night? I remembered being mad, it was something someone said. Or was it something I said? I didn't know, and I didn't care. I would forget and move on. I was going to hang out with Rachael.

When I got to Rachael's house, I knocked on the door and introduced myself. She told me that she was Rachael's foster parent, and that Rachael was outside reading. I felt kind of bad, I didn't even know she was in foster care.

" Hey Rae," I said sitting down next to her.

" One, it's Rachael, and two, what are you doing here?" She asked me putting her book down.

" It's good to see you too, and I told you that me and some friends were going to get pizza and you should come." I said laughing a little.

" I'm glad I amuse you. How did you know where I live?" She asked.

" I walked you home," I said.

" That was once, and did you actually remember how to get here, or did you look me up?" She asked.

" Which one sounds less desperate?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm. When she gave me her signature look, I said," I'm kidding, we should probably get going if we're walking." I said standing up, and offering her my hand.

" Who said I was going?" She asked as she looked at my hand.

" Come on, it'll be fun!" I told her.

" Fine, but no more coming to my house without me knowing." She said warningly as she stood up, without taking my hand.

" Don't like surprises?" I asked her teasingly.

" No, I don't like people dropping in on me at random times without my knowledge that they even know how to get to my house acting like some stalker." She said, that shut me up.

" I'm sorry," I said apologetically. I thought I heard something break, but it was quiet so I ignored it. Then I heard her mutter something.

" No I'm sorry, I overreacted. It's no big deal, it's just, some other people used to follow me around a lot, and it got weird. So, where are we going?" She asked giving me a small reassuring smile.

I returned the smile and said," We're going to meet up with the guys for pizza,"

" Sounds fun, we can listen to Victor and Gar complain about pizza toppings," she said sarcastically.

" You're funny," I said.

" I wouldn't go as far as funny, just really sarcastic." She finished. She smiled a little.

" You should smile more, you have a pretty smile." I said.

" Um, thanks. I'm not really good with complements," Rachael said putting her hood up. We walked for a while in silence, and then she asked me," I, um, my foster mom, it's just temporary, could you, um, not say anything about it?" She asked shyly.

" No problem. It's not a big deal though, I was adopted as a ward. So he's like my guardian. He said it was so that he wouldn't replace my parents, but we're just like family." I smiles at her again. She looked sad." Is everything okay?

" Fine, I'm fine. I just don't want to talk about my parents. It's, complicated." She said looking at the ground.

" Oh, I'm sorry." I said putting my hand on her shoulder.

" It's fine, we're here." She said stopping in front of the pizza place.

" And there are the guys," I said as we walked over to them.

" Oh, friend Richard, you brought friend Rachael, I am filled with the excitement!" Kori exclaimed, as she brought me and Rachael into a hug.

" Nice to see you too Kori," I breathed out. She was strong, and it was kind of tight in our little hug.

" Yeah, nice to see you too, you can stop hugging us now," Rachael said in a small voice. Kori put us down, and we walked over to the table.

" Dude! How can you eat that!" Gar yelled at Victor.

" Easy, like this," Victor said as he took another bite, and Gar made a gagging sound.

" Those we're innocent animals, how can you eat them?" Gar said with disgust, he looked a little green as he watched Victor eat the pizza topped meat.

" It's delicious, but I guess someone who eats something as gross as tofu could never appreciate something as delicious as this." Victor said taking another bite.

" Tofu is the best! You are just too chicken to try it!" Gar yelled.

" Maybe if it looked as appetizing as this, I would try it." At that, Gar slid down in his seat looking a little nauseous.

" Oh, dear friends, do not fight. Would anyone else like to partake in the eating of the mustard?" Kori asked, at this we all started to look a little nauseous. After we finished eating, we got into Victor's car and headed to the park.

Then, Gar started telling jokes." Why are ducks so funny? Because they're always 'quacking' jokes." And he started laughing as we all sighed and Kori thought about it.

" Pull over. I think I'm going to be sick." Rachael said as she looked out the window.

" Oh I see. It is humorous because ducks lack the large brain necessary for the telling of jokes." And then Kori started laughing.

" Actually Kori, it just wasn't funny." I told her.

" That's because Garfield lacks the large brain necessary for telling jokes." Rachael said, and then Victor and I laughed a little.

" Come on, Rachael, you know I'm hilarious! And I'm not gonna give up until I get you to smile. Okay, why did the aardvark cross the road?" He asked turning more towards Rachael than the rest of us.

" To beat up the idiot telling jokes about him?" She asked sarcastically. And Victor started laughing.

" The idiot telling jokes..." He laughed again, and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye.

" Now that's funny." I said giving a small smile.

" Please, an aardvark is some form of duck?" Kori asked confused. We all laughed again, as Gar sighed in defeat. We had a great time at the park, and since we were close to Rachael's house, I walked her home.

" Glad you came, then?" I asked her.

" Yeah, maybe we should do it again sometime." She said turning towards me.

" Rachael?" I asked

" Yeah?" She asked.

" Is everything okay? I mean, you just seem a little upset." I asked as I looked at her.

" Fine, I'm," she started to say, but then I brought her into a hug. I was surprised when she returned the hug." Thanks."

" For what?" I asked confused.

" For inviting me, for talking to me, and for this," she said. We stood there for a while, and then we kissed. It was soft and nice. And then it broke.

" I'm sorry," she said as she looked behind her shoulder," I should go."

" It was nice, see you tomorrow then?" I asked smiling.

" Yeah, at school." She said. She started to walk away, and then turned," Thanks again, Richard." She said with a small smile.

" No problem, Rachael." I said returning the smile. I heard something crash, and Rachael quickly looked over her shoulder, and then smiled one more time, and went inside. I heard her ask her foster mom what the noise was. She responded a little confuse saying it just fell. I left knowing everything was okay. I walked home just in time for dinner. After dinner, I went to bed thinking about Rachael, and even more about the kiss.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts. Lets do something a little different.**** I want the**** new team to go on a mission, so I want you guys to leave an idea for one. Whoever wins will get the chapter dedicated to them and will get to read it first. Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	9. The Teams

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and left a favorite! **

**Thanks to:**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes for the follow and review, Bluestar for the review, dj25taz for the follow and favorite, Soul Reaper With Core Drill for the follow and favorite, and ruthrod97 for the follow and favorite.**

**This chapter is dedicated to ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes. I will be using part of your idea for the teams mission, I could not send it to you early because your PM is closed. If you have an idea of what I could do instead, that would be great. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

I woke up that morning feeling light-headed, and once again, like I was forgetting something. It wasn't as strong as before, though. When I got out of the shower and got dressed, I heard Bruce talking, it was with Barbara. Sometimes we would go to school together if her dad was busy. When I got closer I heard some of what they were saying, it sounded like a mission. I stayed behind the wall, not on purpose exactly, but I wanted to know what they were talking about, and I didn't want to be in the dark anymore.

" But it didn't react with us like that. It's like the effect is still going." I heard him say in a quiet voice.

" What do you mean?" She asked.

" I think it was made for him, to react with him."

" And how could he figure that out, I mean, he's not the brightest."

" Don't underestimate him. He has his ways. Blood samples, maybe he saved some gas that he breathed in. Or spiked it." Bruce said as he thought it over.

" How would he know which one to use? He couldn't get in, it's almost impossible. And even still, how could he figure he would go in _that_ spot." She asked.

" Maybe it was for any one of us, or...it had a tracking device!" He said coming to a conclusion.

" That would make sense, he would only need something as simple as a piece of hair." She said." How do you test for that?"

" Depends on the technology. I think I could get a sample of the gas, or a remainder that's in his system." Bruce said, I didn't know why they were being quiet, maybe they thought I was asleep.

" Who are you talking about?" I asked as I came into the room." Is this what you were hiding?"

" Dick, what are you talking about?" Bruce asked.

" I mean, you've been hiding something. Did it have something to do with the gas? Did you find out who he was after?" I asked quickly.

" Yes it does, and we aren't sure yet." He said.

" What's that suppose to mean?" I asked him.

" It means, we have a theory it was after a specific person, duh." Barbara said.

" Well thanks for letting me know." I said sarcastically, and Barbara walked over to the kitchen and waited for me to get ready to leave.

" I didn't want to wake you, it sounded like you had a rough night last night." Bruce said. I was a little confused, I guess I let it show, because he continued." You didn't sound like you had a peaceful sleep. You were moving around a lot, and muttering."

" Thanks, but I'm fine." I said walking into the kitchen to grab something to eat. When I got there, I sat down at the counter and Alfred handed me some waffles and juice, and I began to eat.

" Once you finish, we should probably get going, master Dick. Would you like some thing?" Alfred asked as he turned to Barbara.

" Thanks, but I already ate." Barbara said grabbing her bag and sitting down next to me. I finished, and we headed out to the car. Then Bruce stopped me.

" We aren't trying to keep you in the dark, okay?" He asked me.

" Okay," I said.

" Good, have a good day. And be careful," he said with a bit of a warning.

" Why, oh, it's Monday! Our teams," I said remembering. I couldn't wait, we usually didn't actually train with the other students. Especially those outside our categories. He said good luck to Barbara too, and something else that I couldn't hear.

" What did he ask you?" I asked her.

" To tell you to contain yourself," she said sliding in next to me.

" Sure he did, I didn't want to know anyway." I said.

" What did he tell you?" She asked me.

" Oh, nothing important." I said.

" Fine, he told me to make sure I take care of you and make sure you don't get yourself killed." She said with a smile.

" Of course he did, but he did however tell me to watch your back for you since you aren't as trained." I responded. Then we both laughed, at least I still had this.

When I got to school, I reported to my EGS room and lined up with the others. Our class was excused for the day, we were going on a 'field trip', while we were actually teaming up to do something else. We just had to wait to be teamed up.

We were each handed a piece of paper with a number and who else would be in our group. I had Raven: Sorcery, The Beast: a changeling, Starfire: Starbolts, flight, strength, and Cyborg: He was a cyborg, he had built in weapons, strength, and mechanical senses. This was going to be a good team. It also said that we would be doing a watch today and gave us the location. We would get to head out of central, it gave a description of exactly where to go.

I went over to our number, and looked around. There were three other teams of five. Wow, twenty super powered kids in this school. I wondered who they were. I hoped to find out. I had some guess I wasn't the only protegé here. I had a feeling that The Beast might actually be the previous Beast Boy from the Doom Patrol. This was going to be fun.

And then, our group leader came over. I was glad to see it was Cosmos. I knew he had trained with everyone in this group, because I had seen them train with him every now and then.

" Alright, everyone here?" He asked looking at his paper and then at us." Good, so, ready for your first mission?"

" What are we doing? All it tells us is where to go and we would be on watch." I heard Cyborg say behind me.

" And you are doing exactly that. There has been some abnormal activity in that area. You and the three other teams will be in that location in separate sectors. You need to examine the situation, then decide what to do. If it's a bigger problem, call for backup, or risk getting kicked off the team." Cosmos said with a warning.

" And how will we get to this location?" I heard the girl named Starfire say.

" If you were on a team, how would you get there?" Cosmos asked us.

" Use our talents and abilities to get there," I replied.

" What are you going to do, run? You're at a disadvantage from the ret of us." I heard a small voice say, I guessed it was Raven's and I turned around.

" You don't know what I can do," I said. I was expecting this to happen, and I was ready to defend myself.

" I'm not trying to be mean, I just think we should get there somewhat as a team." Raven continued. She sounded apologetic.

" Its okay, I don't know what you guys can do or how your powers work either." I said." What about Cyborg, or The Beast? How do you plan to get there?" I asked them. And then The Beast transformed into a pterodactyl, and Cyborg just stood there thinking.

" I can run I guess, I'm working on getting a jet pack or something." He said." What about you guys?"

" I can run pretty fast, or I could use some of my weapons. I have a jet pack I've been working with." I said.

" And I can fly," Starfire said.

" I can fly and teleport. I could teleport all of us, actually." Raven said quietly.

" Why didn't you say that before?" Cyborg asked. She stayed quiet.

" We would get there faster, as long as you can do it and be fine. I'm not sure how your powers work. Even in that field, it can be different for everyone." I said turning to her.

" I'll be fine. Ready?" She asked, we all nodded and waited." Azarath, metrion, zinthos," She breathed out and then a portal opened and consumed us. It was cold, but it was pretty cool. We landed on a roof a few seconds later, and Raven flew down looking a little worn, but then got her energy back.

We walked over to the edge of the building and looked over it. We didn't see any activity going on, so I figured we should spread out.

" Alright, we should take this area over here." I said gesturing over to them." I suggest the three main buildings, and then the two alley ways." I said pulling up an image of it on my gloves. They were like the ones I used with Batman, only, not as nice or detailed.

" Who made you leader?" Cyborg asked. Great, just what I needed.

" I never said I was the leader," I started.

" Then why are you trying to boss us around," his voice and the way he argued reminded me of Victor. I thought about it for a bit, and then continued.

" This is what I do, I can help." I said walking towards him.

" Dudes, chill out." The Beast said stepping between us.

" Yes, please, do the chilling of the out," Starfire said. She was an alien and new to earth.

" Um, guys, should we, I don't know, get to the mission?" Raven asked quietly.

" Yeah," we mumbled.

" I think your idea will work," Raven said looking at me with big amethyst eyes.

" I call alley number two!" The Beast said. We all picked where we would go. I was on building three, cyborg building one, Starfire alley one, and Raven building two.

" Before we go, here." I said handing them communicators.

" Where did you get these?" The Beast asked.

" Cosmos gave them to me. I made a few tweaks before we left, everyone has them." I said passing them out. We all put them in.

" What kind of tweaks?" Starfire asked.

" I put a distress signal, so if we get into trouble, we can contact each other without talking. The first button contacts all of us and gives the location, the second one contacts the school. It does both silently. So it will vibrate a little. Oh, and the actual tweak I made. We can listen in on each other. All you do is press this button. It will let us know to be quiet and listen to what's going on, also giving us the location." I said showing them how it worked on mine. It was pretty simple, but they all looked surprised that I could do it at all, especially that quickly.

" I guess I underestimated you," Cyborg said.

" This is so cool," The beast said.

" Let's get going," I said as I jumped and latched onto my building with my utility belts rope. Soon, the others followed and we began our watch. It was pretty cool, the entire part that they trusted us. Well, we weren't suppose to do anything, but they knew something could happen.

I thought about how cool it would be if my friends were here. Even though, I didn't hang out with them much. They were closer with each other. I don't help with pranks unless they need me for it. They hang out a lot. I guess over the years we fell apart.

I guess I can't really blame them. I hang out with Barbara more, because she gets it. And now I've been hanging out with Rachael. I guess I just talk to whoever doesn't hate me and is around at the time. Believe it or not, even when you live with someone who's rich, you get labeled. Even here. I stopped thinking about it, this would be different. My team doesn't know who I am. I had to focus on what was going on.

As I started watching the streets, I saw something. I looked closer. They looked familiar, and different at the same time. And then I saw who they were following. The Joker. My first instinct was to attack. I knew what was going on, but the rest of the team didn't. I grabbed my communicator, and contacted them.

" Joker, close to alley two. Move in and watch don't attack." I said calmly.

" Shouldn't we call in?" The Beast asked.

" They told us not to interfere." Raven said.

" We should see what they're up to first." I said.

" Should we warn the other teams?" Cyborg asked.

" We shouldn't worry them, and besides, we would have to contact Cosmos first." I said.

" Beast! Get out of there!" I yelled into the communicator, I noticed the smaller clown like figure coming around. He had something, and it couldn't be good. He quickly ran out-of-the-way and scaled the nearby building for a better view.

" I'm fine." He said when he was at the top.

" Okay, we're coming to you." I said, and we moved toward him.

" Is this what we were suppose to be looking for?" Starfire asked.

" No, this is wrong, it's all wrong," Raven said.

" Raven's right, it was a practice watch, nothing real." I said.

" Who's the kid?" Cyborg asked.

" I don't know, must be new. Guess he wanted a sidekick." I shrugged.

" He looked familiar. Did he go to our school?" The Beast asked.

" I don't know, maybe. But, not in the program, I don't think." I said.

" Well do your thing, hack." Cyborg said in more of a whisper. I started to push a couple of buttons on my suit, and it popped up. I took a picture and started scanning. I found a match. But then, it just crashed. We all started coughing. We started to run, and I couldn't breathe.

It sounded like the others were ahead of me. It was slow, even my coughing slowed. Everything slowed. I couldn't think. Then I remembered about the communicators. I pushed the distress button, and I opened it so they could hear and see what was going on. Cosmos would get here soon.

Then someone grabbed me, and they started laughing. It was the Joker's new sidekick. He kicked me on the ground." Well, look what we have here. I haven't seen you around, why'd your team leave, we could of had fun." He said as he kicked me again.

I didn't have my usual weapons that I would if I had my Robin suit. But I did have my utility belt. Never leave home without it. I grabbed one of the air capsules that Batman gave us a few days ago for the new gas, and soon, I was able to breathe a little better.

Then someone else grabbed me, this time it was Raven.

" Are you okay?" She asked looking me over. I saw Cosmos come in, but by the time he got here, Joker and his sidekick were gone.

" Fine, you guys?" I asked her.

" I think were okay. The gas was slowing us down. Starfire fell, but she's okay. And the others were confused, but are fine now. They just needed some fresh air." She said.

" What about you?" I asked her.

" I'll be okay. You got blasted really hard though, you fell and then he grabbed you. I followed you, and when I saw my chance I took it." She said. She was coughing. It was getting worse.

" Maybe you need some fresh air." I said." Here," I said handing her one of the capsules. She took it, and the coughing stopped.

" Thanks, how did you know that would work?" She asked me.

" I took one. I was hoping it would work." I said.

" Yeah, but how did yo get it?"

" I've been working on them. They give fresh air and some repellent for gas. It's supposed to help with stuff like this." I said. Then all of a sudden I grabbed my head in pain.

" What's wrong?" She asked looking very concerned. I felt like I was going to fall over, and she sat me down. I started laughing, and I couldn't understand anything.

" Fine, _you wish_, Raven go, leave me alone,_ or else_!" I was mumbling. It sounded like I had to different voices, I didn't know what was going on.

" I can help," she said, and recited her mantra and touched my head. It began to clear and I stopped laughing. Then she gasped and fell back.

" Thanks, that helped a lot. Are you okay?" I asked her when I noticed what happened.

" Fine, just I had no idea." She said.

" What?" I asked.

" The gas, it was doing something. It tried to get me out. It's gone now though." She said, she looked really nervous.

" What's wrong?"

" Robin, you work with Batman, right?" She asked quietly.

" What are you talking about?" I asked angrily.

" I didn't mean too. I don't think they knew if that's what you're worried about. All I know is that it looked like you are Robin." She said shyly.

" It's okay, do you know who I really am?" I asked her.

" No. That's why I fell back, I didn't even want to know." She said. She looked upset. I heard something break." Sorry."

" For what? You helped me." I said

" My emotions, they broke the lamppost. I'll fix it." She said, and then she fixed it with a flick of her wrist.

" Are you guys okay?" Cosmos asked.

" Fine." We said in unison.

" You handled it well. I'm glad we won't be doing this again, though." He said.

" Why not?" I asked.

" We didn't want to do it the first time. But they felt you needed some experience, it was supposed to be like a test." He explained.

" How did we do?" Raven asked.

" Great, even with your situation. They're going to rank you guys. We should probably head back." He said. We all headed back to the school and congratulated each other. We were placed first. I guess, considering our situation, it made sense.

" Wouldn't it be cool if we started our own team?" The Beast said.

" That would be cool." I said. The two of us walked out together. I had to ask him.

" Are you Beast Boy?" I asked him. And he looked at me.

" Yeah, Robin." He said.

" How?" I started.

" We worked together a few times, and no one could have know the stuff you did, or fight the way you do." He said." How did you know it was me?"

" I'm me, I just put it together." I said.

" Cool, so do you go here?" He asked.

" What do you mean?"

" Do you go to the school or just the program?" He continued.

" Why, do you?"

" Yes, I do. Now answer the question." Beats Boy said.

" Sorry, I'm not allowed to share, I can't tell you where I go to school," I said as I laughed a little.

" Fine, be like that." He laughed back. Maybe we could start a team.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	10. Changes

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and left a favorite! I hope you like this chapter, I put in some more moments between our two love birds for you guys, so let me know your thoughts :)**

**Thanks to:**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for the review! I'm working on the typos, and thanks for pointing them out. Hope you enjoy the chapter :)**

**WAIT IM LOST: Thanks for the favorite! The support is great :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

School was different. All of the teachers seemed tense, and our teachers for our EGS classes were especially tense. It was like something happened on our little mission that we didn't know about. Not only have missions stopped after only the first one, but training has gone down immensely. It seems more like an advanced gym class. We don't work one on one anymore. We don't work with technology much, and powers, well you learn how to better control them.

We still went on watch missions every now and then, but they're all programmed. We still have our teams, and we would go out with the group, but this didn't last long. We did several of them, but we lost interest fast. None of us needed monitored training for a watch. Eventually, those stopped as well.

It was like our program was being threatened by something. The school's property was also being tampered with. Nothing incredibly serious. Some spray paint here and there, and there was an incident with the sinks. It was all resolved, but it still felt off.

No one knew who was behind it, or if it was even a student. It was like everything was turned upside down. Batman didn't want me to go on missions as often. He kept giving me these lame excuses, like: it's nothing, I can handle it, I have Barbara coming, or you have homework. And even Barbara's help had been turned down. We were all in the dark somehow.

And since our classes changed for the last semester, I didn't have classes with Victor or Garfield, so I saw them less than I used to. I couldn't talk to anyone about it, except for Rachael. I wanted to talk about it with her, but couldn't figure out how I could.

I had figured out she was Raven. I confronted her about it during a class. She had said she hoped I would figure it out. I wanted to tell her who I was, but I knew I couldn't. Bruce and Barbara were already keeping things from me, the last thing I needed was for them to worry about an identity crisis.

Another thing about identities, I had figured out Victor was in fact Cyborg. I did some research on it, he was in an accident nod since his dad works at STAR labs, he became Cyborg. I also figured that Gar knew about this too. I hadn't asked him, but it had evidence that they did know of each other. I was already in the dark, and we weren't incredibly close. Some times I wished I wasn't the way I am. Then I wouldn't know all this stuff, or have the urge to find out. Only some times, though.

" Dick?" Rachael asked me putting her hand on top of mine.

" Huh?" I asked her. She gave me a concerned look.

" Is everything okay? You've been acting a little weird. And don't tell me you're tired or just fine. Something's bothering you."

" I'm fine, just been thinking about some things." I said avoiding her gaze.

" I know your not, you can tell me." She said quietly as she leaned in a little.

" Not here." I said back.

" Okay, well I don't know if you were even listening, but they just said all the EGS classes are canceled today, so what do you want to do?" She asked.

" They are? Why?" I asked quickly.

" I thought you would be interested in a break, considering you've been so 'tired' recently. We could find the others, we haven't hung out with them in a while." She said in her usual monotone voice.

" Whatever you want to do. I don't really care." I said.

" If you say that, then I have to come up with something." She said with some sarcasm in her voice. We stood up and walked outside and sat down under a tree.

" We could find them. What's Kori up to these days anyway?" I asked her.

" She's upset. She said that she heard they might close down most of the EGS classes and replace them with advanced classes instead. Getting rid of the rings and stuff." She said.

" I didn't know that." I said a little shocked.

" Yeah, a lot of kids might leave the school because of it." Rachael said.

" But, why would they want to do that?" I asked her.

" I don't know. It could be anything. Funding, a downgrade, or the program isn't working as well anymore." She said.

" There has to be a reason." I said.

" They also want to close the dorms." She said.

" Oh, so is that why she's so upset?" I asked coming to a conclusion. Kori stayed at the dorms, Rachael wanted to move into a dorm too, but her 'foster' family thought it would be a bad idea.

" She wouldn't admit that was the problem, but I think so." She said.

" Is it because of what's been going on?" I asked.

" Maybe. All of the programs are changing too. Like it's getting less advanced, technology wise. They want to focus more on academics or something." She said.

" Strange." I said.

" Yeah," she said leaning against me. It was silent for a bit. I was going through this stage with Rachael which was everyone thought we were together, but we didn't really go out. It was a special relationship, she didn't want to be official, even though we've already said we liked each other. It's nice this way though. We only do what we want, without the pressure of others thoughts. We did this because of her powers, she didn't know I knew though.

" Hey love birds, did you hear the news?" I heard Gar ask. We had stopped correcting him about it, because it was kind of obvious.

" What news?" Rachael asked.

" The program is cancelled for the rest of the week." Gar said as he sat down next to us.

" Why?" I asked.

" No idea. They're keeping something from us, though." He said. Then Victor came around and sat down too.

" Yeah, a lot of kids are leaving the school. Dorm closing, program ending, scholarships aren't counting since the program left. They want to be able to be an academic school. And since more schools are popping up, not as nice as this though, people are transferring. And with everything that's been happening, parents aren't so sure about the safety." He explained.

" I too fear my family will request my departure from the school." Kori said as she sat down next to Rachael.

" We should do something, get our minds off things." Gar said.

" Like what?" Rachael asked.

" I don't know, the carnival's in town." Victor said.

" I'll pass." Rachael said.

" It'll be fun, we could win you a prize Rachael." Gar said as he playfully pushed her.

" Come on Rachael, we could make it a date." I whispered to her. I didn't really think about it much, but I guess it could be the first truly official date that they would know about. I saw her smile, and I smiled back.

" Okay, it's a date." She whispered back.

" Great, we'll come." I said, and I grabbed her hand and she leaned closer to me.

" This will be fun, friend Rachael, we can have the candy of cotton, and see the clowns, and ride the rides, and," Kori started to say.

" I think the love birds might have other plans, Kori." Victor said and Gar laughed a little.

" Finally, so are you two ready to tell the world that you've been together." Gar said teasingly.

" I don't see why everyone has to know, we're happy. But I guess, now our little secret's out." I said.

" Please, we already knew." Gar said.

" And now everyone's rumors will be confirmed." Victor said.

" Please, which secret are we discussing?" Kori asked a little confused.

" The one about Rachael and Richard secretly being together, but not doing a good job about hiding it." Gar said as he laughed a little.

" Maybe we didn't care who knew, we just didn't make a big deal about it." Rachael said stiffening a little. I knew it wasn't personal, just trying to control her emotions better.

" Oh that one," Kori said a little sad. She had liked me for a while, but I didn't feel the same way. We went out once, but there was no spark." I give you the congratulations, friend Richard and friend Rachael. Now tell me, why are they birds?" She asked going back to her happy attitude.

" It's just a nickname, Kori." Rachael said. We talked for a while about the carnival, until it was time to head to class. I couldn't really concentrate in the classes, all I could think about was the carnival.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	11. The Carnival

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and left a favorite! I hope you like this chapter, I put in some more moments between our two love birds for you guys, so let me know your thoughts :)**

**Thanks to:**

**Soul Reaper With a Core Drill: I'm glad you like it, I don't think they will all know each others identities, except Dick will, and Raven might find out about Robin being Dick like in the show, still debating about that. **

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it, I was hoping it wouldn't be too cheesy.**

**Zmanmattie: Thanks for the favorite!**

**asilva 108: Thanks for the favorite, the support is great :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

I was so excited for tonight. I was going to pick up Rachael at her house at seven. All of us are going to meet up at the diner and then Victor's going to drive us the rest of the way. I was a little nervous, usually the two of us just hang out alone, not with everyone coming. I was also a worried that I would have to leave early because of the being a partner thing.

" Hey, Dick. How was school, I heard your training was cancelled for the rest of the week?" Bruce asked me.

" Yeah, it's weird. They shut down all the programs for the week. I think it has something to do with what happened a few weeks ago, and the current property damages." I said as I looked at him hoping he would have more information on it.

" Probably." Was all he said." So any plans tonight?" He asked I started to head upstairs.

" Why?" I asked.

" Just wondering, because I don't think I'll need you on watch. So Alfred will be here, and I don't think Barbara will come, so I have her around if I need help." He said.

" If you need help, just call me. I'm going to the carnival with Victor, Gar, Kori, and Rachael." I said.

" You haven't hung out with them for a while, except for Rachael that is. I heard you finally told them about you two." He said.

" One, classes changed and we were never that close. And two, how did hear that?" I asked. When he didn't answer I asked," Barbara?"

" Who else." He said, and he headed off to his study. I walked to my room, and I wondered if she would want to come. We haven't done something for a while, but what would Rachael think? I mean, Barbara is a really close friend, and then Kori could hang out with someone. I decided to give her a call.

" Hello, Paul's Pizza, Kate speaking." Barbara said.

" Hey, Babs," I said.

" What do you want?" She asked.

" I don't want something from you _all_ the time you know," I said.

" Fine, I'll humor you." She said.

" Thanks, I'm honored." I said sarcastically.

" You should be. Is this about me telling Bruce that you finally told your friends about Rachael?" She asked.

" Oh, I forgot to thank you for that." I said sarcastically and she laughed." I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the carnival with me and some friends."

" Oh, the ones you don't see or talk to often? Or you and Rachael?" She asked with a hint of sarcasm, it still hurt a little.

" I'm hurt." I said," And we still talk, and it's with all of us. I thought you talked with Kori sometimes, and I know you and Gar are real close." I teased.

" Please, one time, besides, I hear he likes someone named Terra. Yeah, I know them. I sit with Gar and Victor in biology. And I have lunch with Kori, so yeah." She said.

" Do you want to come?" I asked.

" I don't know," she said quietly.

" Why not?" I asked. More silence." Are you going on watch tonight?" I asked a little upset that Bruce would lie to my face.

" No." She said a little too quickly." I just don't know if I can get out tonight."

" And why would that be?"

" I'm kind of suppose to be thinking about why I shouldn't be skipping gymnastics practice." She said.

" Really? Why did you skip this time?" I asked.

" I went to the mall with a friend."

" Of course you did. I think you just don't want to hang out." I said.

" Fine, I'll think about it." She said." I have to go, maybe I'll see you later."

" Bye." I said. I really wanted to believe them, but I couldn't help it. I was feeling more alone and like no one really trusted me. I know this wasn't true, but I couldn't think of anything that could be causing it.

I lay on my bed after I finished some homework. I thought about everything that's been going on. Maybe I should just leave. Maybe they would be better off without me. I'm useless. They don't want me around, they only do it out of pity. I didn't know what to think anymore.

I turned and looked at the clock, I saw the time, and figured I should go get Rachael. I planned on walking, I needed to get these thoughts out of my head so I could have a good time. I let Alfred know I was leaving, and started walking. A walk turned into a jog, then a sprint, and then I was running.

Time passed me by, and I almost missed her house. I went to the door, and it was open. I thought I heard crying, and then something broke. It was Rachael.

" Who's there?" She asked.

" It's just me," I said following her voice.

" Oh, sorry about the mess. I almost forgot you where picking me up, I almost headed out." She said. I walked into the room, and she was sitting on the floor. When she saw me, she quickly got up and just stood there.

" What's wrong?" I asked running over to her.

" It's nothing, I just, never mind." She said, her voice went back to its usual monotone.

" You can tell me. Where's your foster mom?" I asked noticing her absence.

" She, she had to leave. I don't think...I don't think she's coming back." She said quietly.

" What do you mean?" I asked.

" I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." She said as she started to head out of her bedroom. I grabbed her wrist gently and pulled her into a hug.

" Please." I whispered to her. She didn't return the hug, she just stood there staring off into space.

" I-I can't. I'm sorry." She said, she was resisting the urge to cry. I wanted to help, but I didn't know how.

" Come on, we can make it better. We can still go to the carnival if you want," I said pulling her out so I could look at her face.

" Let's go," she said.

" We don't have to," I said looking her over.

" Thanks, but I want to." She said, and then returned my hug.

" Are you sure you're okay?" I asked her as she hugged me a little tighter.

" I'm fine, thanks for coming." She said. We stood there for a bit, until she started to talk again." Let's go, before they leave without us."

" Great," I said smiling at her and grabbing her hand as we walked out the front door. I wondered what happened to Rachael's guardian, I didn't want to ask and upset her, but it was odd. Did she leave, or did they get in a fight? Whatever it was, Rachael was upset, so I was upset.

" Hey guys, thought you decided not to come for a bit." Victor said as we walked into the diner. Gar was stuffing his face with a pie, and Kori came over and hugged both of us.

" Gar, we're leaving now." Rachael said as we walked out.

" Coming, Rae." He said finishing his pie.

" It's Rachael." She said, and then we headed off.

The carnival was packed. It was still light out even though the sun was setting. I could see the work crews getting ready to turn on the lights for the rides and the booths. There was one booth that was giving out giant stuffed chickens for prizes, I saw Gar tap Victor and then pointed to them and then looked at Rachael. Rachael gave me a look that said she really didn't want a giant stuffed chicken.

We walked around for a little bit before we decided to get something to eat. It all smelled like carnival food. It was all fried food and sugar, it was so hard to choose. We decided to get some tacos from a food truck, and then we walked down to the pier to eat them.

Rachael and I sat next to each other and watched the sunset. It was a good night for a carnival, my mind was clearing, and I felt kind of happy. Rachael looked so beautiful. Her her was flying in the cool breeze. She looked like she was deep in thought about something.

" Is it about what happened?" I asked her quietly.

" I don't know why, she just, she left me a note." Rachael said.

" Did she leave?" I asked her.

" She went back home. She said my mother should be here, and she didn't want anything to do with my situation anymore. I think she was afraid of something. She apologized for having to leave it in a note, not that it makes the argument any better." She said.

" I'm sorry," I said.

" It's okay, I'm used to it." She said back as she finished her taco.

" Do you know why she left?" I asked her.

" She made it plenty clear. I think it's because of the situation." She said.

" What is your situation exactly?" I asked her.

" Well I don't live with my mother, because she couldn't leave. I was staying with someone who lived by us when my mom first moved, before I was born. So, when I wanted to leave and go to school here, we got a hold of her. She didn't really want to, it took some persuading. Things were going okay for a while, until, well, I think it was my father that made her want to leave." She explained.

" Your father?" I asked her.

" Let's just say he isn't exactly on the right side of the law." She said.

" I thought she was your foster mom." I said.

" She kind of was. That was the story, her name is Anna, and she's more of a guardian. My dad was trying to find me, another reason why I wanted to leave and the reason my mother couldn't leave. So, that was our story." She said.

" Oh, so are they close, your mom and Anna?" I asked.

" Not really. They weren't extremely close, but she was one of my first caretakers that helped my mom out. We didn't really know each other, but my mom didn't want me to go alone, so she was the best option I guess." She explained. It was quiet for a while, and then some fireworks went off. She looked a little sad, maybe I should have taken her advice and not asked.

" Want to go watch the fireworks?" I asked as I pointed to the ferris wheel.

" Sure," she said standing up. We walked towards it, and as we did, I decided to get some cotton candy. We sat there and just watched the fireworks as the ferris wheel circled around. When we got off, I saw Barbara.

" Decided to come then?" I asked her.

" Yeah, I was free." She said right before Kori brought her into a hug.

" Hey, Rachael! Ready for your prize?" Victor asked her as Gar started to drag her off. And of course, they walked up to the booth with the giant chickens. The rest of us followed behind just as they started. After a few times, Garfield actually managed to win her a prize.

" See, told you we would win you a prize." Garfield said with confidence as he handed her the prize.

" A giant chicken. I must be the luckiest girl in the world." She said as she rolled her eyes, and the rest of us laughed.

" What time is it?" I asked Barbara.

" We probably still have a few hours," she said as she checked her phone.

" Cool." I said to Barbara, and then I turned to Rachael," Come on Rachael, let's try to win you a better prize." I whispered to Rachael. I heard her laugh, and knew she would be okay.

* * *

** Sorry this got out so late, I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	12. Patrol

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and left a favorite! If anyone has chapter ideas that they want to see, or a story idea, I would love to hear them. So let me know :)**

**Thanks to:**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for the review and for the follow, I appreciate all the support! And as for Barbara, she is Batgirl, so I'm taking character pieces from stuff like the comics and tv shows. I'm glad you like the references, I like putting them in, but I don't want like a chapter repeat of them. Thanks again :)**

**Verdantia: Thanks for follow, means a lot that you guys like my story :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

Rachael and I decided to go for a walk around the pier. She still had her giant chicken, and she also had a necklace with a Raven on it. I spotted it and decided to try to win it for her, and she asked me to help her put it on. I loved moments like this, when we could be ourselves and just relax a little. We both needed a little break.

" So, anything you want to do before closing?" I asked her.

" Nothing in particular, you?" She asked as she turned to me.

" Walking with you is fine," I said right before I was ambushed by a certain Garfield Logan.

" Dick! Behind you!" Rachael yelled in a laughing voice, I turned just in time to see a bucket of water pour down on me. I tried to dodge it, but he still managed to get my hair and part of my shirt.

" Dude!" Gar yelled as he started to laugh.

" Great, and now, my hair is wet!" I said, with a bit of sarcasm.

" Looks like Gar here is asking for a little something I like to call payback." Victor said. He walked over with Barbara and Kori.

" I didn't try to throw water on you!" Gar said as Victor started chasing him.

" Please why does friend Garfield get the payback?" Kori asked.

" He tried to dump water over Dick, and it looks like he got him." Barbara said as Gar ran past her.

" Victor! You just want to dump me in the lake!" Gar yelled in protest as Victor picked him up and ran towards the water.

" Not a bad idea, grass stain!" He yelled, and then Gar was in the water and the rest of us followed. We started a huge water war. We were yelling and splashing water at each other. Luckily, the water was about ankle-deep, so my shorts didn't get too wet.

" Missed!" I yelled at Rachael as she tried to splash me, I dodged it and the water ended up hitting Gar.

" Dude! You're going to regret that!" He yelled pushing the water off his face.

" Am I now?" Rachael asked taunting him a little.

" Bring it on," Gar said back, and they began shooting water at each other rapidly.

" Back-up! I need some back-up over here!" Rachael yelled, and I ran over and helped her.

" Guys! I need help, she already got me wet!" Gar yelled as we all ganged up on him.

" Fine! Fine! Okay, you win! I said, you win!" He said between his laughter. Eventually, after we were all wet, we walked back up to the beach and sat down on some benches. We were all wet and needed to dry off before Victor let us in his car, so we decided to go on a walk to help dry, we also bought some towels.

" I have to go, thanks for inviting me," Barbara said after she checked her phone.

" Why?" I whispered to her.

" I just have to go, okay?" She said." Besides, you should probably head home soon before you get in trouble. It's a school night you know."

" I didn't want to know anyway." I said as she started to leave.

" Good, I wasn't going to tell you!" She yelled as she turned back around and started running in the other direction.

" What was that about?" Rachael asked me.

" We've known each other ever since I first moved in with Bruce." I started." I just think she's up to something is all."

" Oh, as long as everything's okay." She said, and then a gave her a quick kiss, and she returned it.

" Did you have fun?" I asked her.

" Yeah, I'm glad I came tonight." Rachael said.

" So what are you going to do about your situation?" I asked her.

" I guess I'll just wing it, I can handle myself." She said in a reassuring voice.

" I'm always around if you need something." I said grabbing her hand.

" Good to know, I'm always around too. I know something's bothering you," Rae said, she got quieter towards the last part.

" I'm fine," I whispered back.

" You don't have to lie to me, Richard." She said.

" Really, I'm fine." I said trying to convince her with a small smile.

" Of course you are, but if you ever want to talk about just how 'fine' you are, I'm here." She said squeezing my hand a little.

" Guys! Come on, if we hurry, we can get some more cotton candy before they close!" Victor yelled towards us.

" Coming!" I yelled, and we started to walk a little faster towards them. When we got to the line, I thought I saw a bat. I blew it off for a while, I was used to seeing them around in the batcave and stuff like that. It didn't come to my full attention until I heard someone scream.

" Kori! What's wrong?" Rachael asked turning her head quickly.

" My apologies, I did the panicking. I thought I saw a bat." She said calming down.

" I guess it's getting late," Rachael said as she got her cotton candy. A bat, and the way Barbara ran off so quickly. Batman! He didn't tell me! I had to go find him.

" God, I'm late. I should probably go, or I'll get in trouble." I said looking at my watch.

" Need a ride?" Victor asked.

" That's okay, it's not that far. Besides, he probably sent out a search party for me already." I said sarcastically.

" I'm rubbing off on you," Rachael said hugging me goodbye.

" Can you get home alright?" I asked her.

" I'm not helpless, besides, I'm sure Victor can give me a ride." She said looking up at him, checking if it was okay.

" No problem, good luck." Victor said.

" See you tomorrow, dude." Gar said swallowing some cotton candy.

" Yes, good night, friend Richard." Kori said as I started to leave, and I waved goodbye to them. When I was out of sight, I got out my Robin suit and got it on. I started running and looked down at my communicator and found their location. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw Barbara and Bruce were in the same place.

" Thanks for the heads up," I said as I got up onto the same rooftop they were on.

" I said I didn't need you tonight." Batman said looking at me with a bat-glare.

" You say a lot of things. I'm not just some child, you know." I said.

" I know that," Batman said, and he jumped down after he gave a look to Batgirl.

" Go find your own rooftop to play on," Batgirl said as she turned to me.

" What? Upset that you're no longer needed?" I asked sarcastically.

" Haha," She replied as she swung up to another roof, and I followed.

" So what are we looking at?" I asked her.

" If you must know, we have a lead on Joker." She said.

" Wow, I guess you didn't need me, not!" I said letting my annoyance show.

" Come on, you, well, your past experience with it wasn't too great." She said giving me a concerned look.

" What are you talking about? I'm the one who got rid of him last time, well, his sidekick anyway." I said as I tried to recall the incident.

" Sidekick?" She asked.

" That was my guess." I shrugged.

" And you didn't care to share?"

" It didn't really concern you at the moment," I said.

" Could the two of you stop bickering and get down there." Batman whispered to us, and soon we left and took the back entrance as Batman took the side.

" Joker gas," I said.

" How can you tell?" She asked me. I pointed to the floor, and she nodded. We put it in a tube and she put it in her belt.

" Should we tell Batman?" I asked.

" Already on it." She said back." It's the new Joker gas, we have a sample. Liquid form."

" Good, that means he's close. Put on your air masks, just in case." Batman said, we could hear him put his in, and so we put our's on.

" The door," I said pointing toward it, and she nodded and we walked toward it.

" Don't do anything, just see what's going on," She said to me as she motioned me to go towards it.

" It's both of them." I said." They're talking about something, I can't hear." I said.

" Shall we?" She asked as she pointed towards an air ducked.

" Awesome," I said jumping up and climbing in with Batgirl right behind me.

" Batman, sending coordinates, we're right above them." I said.

" The sidekick too?" He asked.

" Yeah." And soon he was here. We saw him go in, he was hiding behind a pillar.

" And how do I do that?" The kid asked Joker.

" Jester, it's easy, just do it during class." Joker explained. So, his sidekicks name was Jester. How creative.

" And if I get caught?" Jester asked.

" Don't," Joker said as he started to laugh," He'll be led right toward us, that'll show the bat!"

" I'm sorry Joker, but you have detention." Batman said as he greeted him with a punch. Batgirl and I swooped down and joined in.

" You two! The gas!" Batman yelled at us gesturing to the two clowns.

" And what do we do with them?" I asked Batgirl.

" Well Robin, I guess we play keep away." She said picking up the tank of the gas and smirking.

" You two, go!" Batman said. We turned and saw Jester about to jump on top of Batman from the rafters.

" Behind you!" We shouted in unison just in time for him to dodge.

" Joker's new sidekick?" Batman asked Jester.

" So what?" He asked right before he started throwing punches.

" Jester, you don't have to so this," Batman said calmly as he dodged all of his attacks.

" And if I want to?" He asked.

" Do you?" Batman asked as he jumped over him taking a sample of hair and then running over to us.

" This is a distraction. Joker wanted us here tonight, he has a bomb planted here." He said.

" Where?" Batgirl asked.

" That's what we need to find out, the building going down could mean more than just some clean up." He finished, but we already knew this. It could cause fire to the surrounding buildings, meaning deaths to others.

" There!" I said as I spotted a shadow.

" Good, follow it." Batman said.

" Leaving already?" Jester said.

" You could use some training," Batgirl said as she kicked him and he fell to the ground.

" This isn't my job, just part of the act." He said as he started to laugh.

" He's not infected, is he?" I asked.

" I don't think so, but I guess we'll find out." Batman said as he headed toward the door.

" Caught me again," Joker laughed out as we saw him standing next to a giant jack in the box rigged to explode.

" Come on, Joker. What is it this time?" Batman asked him.

" Just wanted to see your smiling faces. What? Not up for a few laughs?" He asked, and once again started laughing.

" Put your masks back on," Batman said, and we did so.

" Don't worry, it can get under your skin, it'll just take a little longer." He said as he laughed agin.

" Distraction." Was all Batman had to say, and then I jumped up and Batgirl launched me, and so the distraction began as Batman tried to disarm the bomb. He put an explosive on some wires, and then blocked it. To my surprise, the countdown stopped and he was able to climb inside and get the bomb. As this happened, Joker escaped along with Jester.

" It was fake, wasn't it?" Batgirl asked.

" More like a test." He said.

" How can you tell?" I asked him.

" The way it was planned. And this," Batman said holding up a to do list." Still have that tank of the gas?" He asked us.

" Yeah," Batgirl said as she jumped up, and got it out of the rafters where we played keep away.

" Good, we can test this. I think he's planning something at a school, I have a hair sample so I'm doing some checks. Let's keep a low profile until we know what exactly he's planning." He said. He gave Batgirl that look again.

" Got it," she said.

" What exactly are we going to do?" I asked.

" Not going after him tonight, do some research first. And, thanks for coming." He said as he put his hand on my shoulder.

" Really?" I asked him.

" Yes, you were right, we needed you tonight." He said as we headed toward the batmobile.

" So, I can come on patrol tomorrow?" I asked him.

" Low profile, but if we have to, yes." He said giving me a small smile. I could tell things were getting back to normal. Well as normal as it gets being Robin. I couldn't help but feel that the kid looked familiar, and not just from last time, like I know him. I would have to figure out who it was. I wasn't sure how fast we could figure it out with just a hair sample and a picture, even if we did have a super computer.

* * *

**Another long chapter. I don't know how much I like it, but I think it was needed. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	13. Confrontation and Threats

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and left a favorite! If anyone has chapter ideas that they want to see, or a story idea, I would love to hear them. So let me know :)**

**(I made some revision to it and added a little something that got left out. Let me know what you think)**

**Thanks to:**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for the review, good guesses, I hope you like what I have planned :)**

**dj25taz: Thanks for the follow and favorite!**

**bobilcaluzia: Thanks for the follows and favorites!**

**The support is great and very appreciated. I love getting these and your ideas, it really helps. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

" Dick?" I heard Bruce say as I slipped out of my own thoughts. I was thinking about last night, he, Jester, really looked familiar. I couldn't think, and I didn't think it was the gas. I didn't know what it was.

" Oh, um, yeah?" I asked dropping my spoon into the bowl of cereal.

" Is everything okay? You haven't eaten anything," Bruce started.

" I'm fine, just not hungry." I said. I let out a yawn after I said it, I didn't get much sleep last night. Every time I got close to falling asleep, I just started thinking about it again.

" You don't look too well, maybe you should stay home today." Bruce said with concern in his voice.

" I'll be fine. Besides, I have a test today." I said.

" Okay, but if you want to come home, it only takes a phone call." Bruce said standing up." Bye Alfred, make sure Dick gets to school on time."

" Will do, master Bruce." Alfred said from the other room.

" See you at dinner, Dick. Don't forget, we're having some people from the children's hospital funding over tonight, so I need you here on time." Bruce said with a hint of warning.

" Got it," I said as Bruce walked out the door. Before I knew it, Alfred was calling my name to get ready to go. I quickly went to the kitchen and disposed of the uneaten cereal, got my bag, and headed to the car.

OooOooOooOooO

" Dick," Barbara said when I walked into the building and headed towards my locker.

" Hey," I replied after a short pause.

" Something wrong?" She asked.

" Couldn't sleep." I said, I wasn't paying that much attention to the conversation.

" I know the feeling. Look, we need to talk." This caught my attention, and I turned my head.

" What is it?" I asked Barbara.

" I can tell you're suspicious. But, it's getting too bad, you need to know." She said in a whisper, and then Rachael walked towards us.

" Hey Rae," I said.

" Rachael. Is something wrong?" She asked.

" Nothing. Couldn't sleep." I said, and then I closed my locker.

" Good to see you Rachael, I'm glad you guys invited me to come last night, it was fun." Barbara said to Rachael.

" Yeah, I'm glad all of us went." She said with a slightly upbeat voice.

" We should hang out more, Kori and I are going to the mall later, want to come?" Barbara asked her, and Rachael looked at me.

" Actually, that would be fun. But I have," Rachael started.

" Rachael was going to help me study." I said quickly. And then I looked at Barbara and then at Rachael.

" I could go after, we won't be more than an hour." She said giving Barbara one of her rare, yet sincere smiles.

" Great," she said.

" Wait, you said we needed to talk?" I said.

" It's not that important, it can wait. Hope to see you two at lunch?" She asked as she started to walk off.

" Alright, so Rachael," I started.

" It was important. I didn't mean to interrupt." She said apologetically.

" No, it's fine. We weren't going to talk about it now anyway. You don't have to go to the mall if you don't want to." I said.

" I should go. I don't get to see them often, and even if she does like shopping, it's not the same when Kori's involved." She said as we started to walk down the hall.

" If you say so, but if you need an out, I'll back you up." I said taking her hand gently.

" Thanks," She said quietly.

" Anytime, anything," I whispered back.

" Thanks, for everything. I know I'm not the most popular or social, but you still gave me a chance. You listen, and you're interested in me for who I am, not some background or anything." She said. It was sweet, but I could tell she was talking about what happened last night.

" You're a great person, Rachael, no matter who your dad is or what your back round is. You're you, and that's why I like you." I said giving her a little squeeze, she squeezed my hand back.

" I want to be there for you too, I know something's going on, I'm here too." She said back.

" I know, it's nice that you don't push it." I said.

" It's nice that you don't push it either." She said giving me a look that said she didn't want to talk about it.

" Got it, nice weather." I said.

" Yes it's great, the heat is wonderful." She said.

" And so here we are, at a desk ready to learn." I said sitting down.

" Yeah," She said as the teacher started taking attendants. The day went on like this, until lunch. We decided to go outside, but _he_ was there. Or I guess I should say they. _They_ were the guys that had attacked me and somehow knew about my parents. Jack, the leader, had his ways to get under people's skin and tear them apart. He didn't fight all that much, could take down some people, but not me, unless I wanted my cover blow. He and his group suddenly got all this information this year. Well, Jack did. His group was only two other guys. They liked to think they ran the school, but really, they're just irritating. He was smart, I give him that, but his fighting, questionable.

" Oh look, it's Rachael." He taunted, as he sat down next to her.

" Jack." Was all she said. He flirted with girls a lot, most of it was unwanted. I noticed Rachael pulled her hood up.

" Can I help you, Jack?" She asked quietly.

" I heard that you're upset, so I thought I would make that beautiful face smile." He said giving her a grin and pulling her hood down.

" How sweet," she said sarcastically." I didn't know I was upset."

" It's my job. So what happened? Dick over here ditch you, or did someone else? My source wasn't that great." Jack said.

" And, who _is_ your 'source'?" She asked him. I didn't do anything. He was just being annoying, he wouldn't try anything, or I don't think he would.

" I was walking by, and I saw you through a window. I saw you crying, and I heard yelling and something break. I asked around, and apparently, someone didn't want you around or you did something that made them want to leave." He said. He was smirking, and Rachael was getting upset.

" How about you just leave her alone?" I asked him with a growl.

" Oh, Dicky is going to say something for once. I have to warn you sugar, he can't do much." He said.

" Is that so?" I said standing up, Jack stood up as well

" Yeah, you can't admit defeat, and you can't help anyone, not even yourself." He said smirking.

" Stop." Rachael said standing between us.

" Let your girlfriend here protect you, you could use some help." He said turning away. I hated when he did this, it was like he wanted you to make the first move. I knew he wanted me to.

" She's really smart like that, it's okay to be jealous." I said to him. I know I should've just dropped it, but I couldn't." Oh that's right, you already tried that." He stood there for a while, then he looked around, and ran towards me.

" Yeah, and what are you? You're only here out of pity! You're entire life right now is pity!" He yelled and then knocked me down. I froze for a second, I didn't know what to do, nobody was even around. I guess that was his plan.

" Funny, I almost forgot, you were a class clown last year. What changed? Decide you needed even more attention?" I asked as I rolled over and pinned him down.

" Dick, stop. This won't solve anything." She just had to look at me. I knew Jack didn't have a perfect life, I knew I was making things worse, but I couldn't take it anymore.

" Yeah, you can't solve anything." Jack said punching me in the chest, I fell backwards and Rachael caught me just before I hit the ground.

" You do realize he can take you down, your little friends are gone, and you're not helping you case." Rachael said in her monotone. We stood up and turned to walk away.

" Fine with me," he said as he picked up some dirt from the ground and threw it at me. It hit me in the shoulder, and I just brushed it off.

" Just keep walking." She said. I listened, I didn't want to deal with him right now. I heard him start to laugh, and he walked inside.

" Let's sit over there," she said pointing to a picnic table in the shade. I finished brushing the dirt off, and then I started coughing.

" Are you okay?" She asked me.

" Fine, I guess I just breathed in some dirt." I said taking out my water bottle and started to drink from it. But then, I dropped it and started coughing and put my hands to my neck, I couldn't breathe. I recognized it, I knew what was coming next. I fell over and hit my head on the ground. I heard Rachael run over to me. I heard myself start to laugh, I knew I would start to forget things and lose control of myself.

" Dick, calm down. I'm going to help, just relax." I heard her say as I started to lose my vision. I felt her hands touch my temples. It was familiar, like when she did it before during the mission. I felt her hesitate.

" It's okay, Raven. It's me, I know what you have to do, finish it, like you started last time." I couldn't understand what I said, but I think I called her Raven. I was beginning to forget everything, the laughter, the fight, everything. I lost my hearing next, it was all fading and it began to slow.

" Dick?" I heard her whisper as I lost consciousness I felt her warm presence around me. It all got louder and quieter at the same time.

" You didn't mean it, but I had to, and I'm sorry." I heard her say, she was in my head.

" How are you doing this?" I thought.

" My powers, you knew. All this time, I imagine you know the others too. I don't want to know, I just want to help. I had to make a bond." I heard her say.

" Well, this is new. Why are you in my head?" I asked her.

" I'm clearing the fog in your mind. I'm done. I need you to wake up, okay?" She said.

" Don't go," I pleaded.

" Come on, Dick. We need to go before someone comes out. Eventually someone else will be done with lunch." She said, and then the presence left and I woke up.

" I'm sorry," she said, this time out loud.

" So, we have a bond?" I asked.

" I was losing you, I guess that 'dirt' did something, it probably had the gas in it, or that's what the symptoms showed." She said.

" It's okay. Thanks." I said.

" No problem. How did he get the gas anyway?" She asked, when I looked at her she continued." The gas, it was the same one from a few weeks ago, but it was fresh. It was only supposed to slow your senses for a while, but it didn't. It did more." She said.

" Jester," I whispered.

" What?" She asked me.

" I thought we had a bond." I said.

" It has restrictions you know. Besides I wasn't trying to find all your secrets, even if I wanted to, it would be hard. Your mind is closed off, training from the bat, I guess." Raven said.

" A criminal, he was helping the Joker. I knew he looked familiar." I said quietly, my throat was a little sore.

" Weird, he's not in the hero prep." She said.

" How can you tell?" I asked.

" A few weeks ago, if he is who you say he is, it would've been impossible." She stated.

" I guess you're right. What do we do now?" I asked her.

" I don't _do_ anything, you tell Batman when you see him tonight during your patrol or whatever." She said.

" So you don't know who he is?" I asked.

" Maybe one day, but you don't want me to know, I don't want to know either. I imagine he used to be a police officer that decided he needed to get things done differently. Maybe he still is a police officer and that's how he knows all the stuff. And you became Robin after your parents murder. I know you helped him on that mission and then became Robin." She explained." I also think you guys get funding somewhere. But I don't want to know. Secret identities are only shared during certain situations." She said.

" Good, if you knew, he would kill me." I said a little relieved.

" Dick! Are you okay? What happened?" Barbara said, more to Rachael than to me.

" He's fine, just had a little problem. The amazing Dick Grayson choked on some water." She said.

" I'm fine Barbara, the ground is just comfortable, and I did not choke, I just had little water blocking my windpipe for a bit." I said, somewhat true, I did start to choke, although the water wasn't the true cause.

" Right," Rachael said rolling her eyes a little." I'm going to go and get my book from my locker, I'll be right back." She said getting up and heading towards the building.

" You said you wanted to talk," I said.

" Yeah, it's about what's been going on." Barbara said.

" You have my interest, continue." I said.

" Okay, so we haven't been on as many watches lately, as you know. But you don't know why, and Batman won't tell me all of it, but I was there and I saw the note. And things are getting to bad, you need to know. Joker left us a note the night before you were suspended." She paused.

" I knew it had more to do with it." I said.

" The night before, we battled with Joker, he left a note. It said something along the lines of revenge. Anyway, it involved you, so when he had some excuse to get you away from it, Bruce took it." I gave her a questioning look.

" And what did the note say?" I asked her.

" Basically, Joker had a great idea for a 'joke'. His plan involved you. He said he needed to borrow a little bird for some machine. Joker's plan involved you in a trap and claimed you were young and needed to smile more. Batman thinks he wants you as some sort of bait or a test subject. And then when the gas exploded in the cave, when we tried to test it, it effected you...differently. It messed with your mind, Batman's greatest fear, losing you." Barbara said.

" Why not you?" I asked her.

" You've been around longer, and I don't come along all the time. I'm not as much of a threat to him I guess. Joker can see that, and as for Batman, you're like his son, Dick." She said, it made me happy that Bruce saw me as his son.

" There has to be something else. Because, you are a threat, even if you don't come as often. And batman couldn't lose you either." I said.

" I know, but Joker has a plan for you specifically. Batman said it had something to do with you being a main partner. Or a main icon." She said.

" That's not true."

" It is though. I don't tag along as often, yet I can still kick more butt than you." She continued. " Look, he has it out for you. And not like in the past. It's not like when he kidnapped me, or tried to turn Batman into a joker. It's different. He wants you as his sidekick. He wants Batman to fail, and the way the gas worked, it contacted with you. We don't know everything, but you needed to know." She finished.

" But he has a sidekick, and I know who it is. It's Jack." I said.

" We know, that's why he was worried that he might know who you are so much. Batman found out that Jack is a tool, and Jack knows the plan is to get to you. And something was funny about a Robin being caught or hunted, I think that was it. Anyway, Jack came to him with information about the school and the program. Joker has been threatening the school. He can't get into the files, but he wants it destroyed." She said.

" And where do I fall into this?" I asked.

" He knows that Batman will try to stop it, and you are suppose to stop him. I guess Joker wants to use you against the school. Plant bombs or something, and he wants you to die with it. With the rest of us." She finished.

" If you know this much, why don't you stop it?" I asked her.

" We've been trying! But, we can't do anything. Another part of his plan, fear." She said.

" Does he know we're students?" I asked.

" No. He doesn't need to know that, he wants an army though. And the hero prep will become villain prep. I guess you can do that better or easier because of past experience." She finished.

" Then, why did Jake try to infect me with the Joker Gas just now?" I asked her. She looked at me first, and then continued.

" Probably just hates you and needed a get away. It slows everyone else down, but to you, it can get you to do harm, spread threats, stuff like that." She said, I knew she was keeping something about the gas from me, just like Bruce was.

" Wow, thanks for telling me." I said somewhat sincere.

" Hey, we did it in your best interest." She said defensively.

" Why are you telling me now?"

" You needed to know," She said as she started to cry.

" I'm going to be fine, okay?" I said to her.

" No, it's all wrong. This shouldn't have to happen. You're younger, I guess that's why it's harder. That's his plan." She said, as she stopped crying.

" It's going to be fine, it always is." I said realizing the intentions and the situation.

" It's different this time."

* * *

**Sorry I got it out late again, but it's long so you can enjoy it over the weekend. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and favorited! If anyone has chapter ideas that they want to see, or a story idea, I would love to hear them. So let me know :)**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for the review, I love reading your reviews, they have good insight :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

" It's different this time."

I kept thinking about those words. This couldn't be happening. It couldn't. He was going to use me take down the team, and I couldn't do anything about it. I'm the threat, although Barbara and Bruce would never say it, I am. They didn't want my help, I'm a danger. The gas got to me, I said something that night. Something that scared them.

Why me? I had to find out. Of course, I'm not going to be able to go with Batman now, and the cave will probably be off-limits. And with Alfred watching me at every waking moment, it will be almost impossible.

Unless, I had my own team. The schools hero prep might be down, but the students are still around. I know four others, in fact. I wanted Barbara's help, but she was too worried. Probably why I was picked, I'm the youngest out of the three of us, so it will seem even sadder to the public and to Barbara and Bruce. I wondered what else Joker was planning.

Luckily, I had a plan too. If I got a team together, we could follow Jester. Jester could lead us to Joker. We wouldn't make a move, just examine and regroup. I could help this way, and with a team, they could make sure I didn't lose it or fall into a trap. Back up might be of good use. The only question was, how do I get them together. We could meet in the old classroom after school. I could tell them I'm Robin and then they might actually listen.

I knew Raven would be very useful, and Beast Boy has experience. The alien, Starfire, was powerful and her powers seemed like they could be of some help, even if she didn't have experience that I knew of. I would need Cyborg too, he was strong and a walking computer. This could work.

I decided I would leave a note in each of their lockers. I would keep it vague, but give them some information. I wrote down four of them and read them over. It said:

_ I need help. I know this is sudden, so I will explain myself. I'm Robin, but you now me as Ace. I know who all of you are because I work with Batman. We have a problem, and we need your help. You have been chosen for this assignment because of your talents. It will be a team of five, we will meet after school in the old classroom. I will be in my costume, and suggest you are too. _

_ Hope to see you soon_

_ - Robin_

Now all I had to do was get them in their lockers without them seeing me, it was doable, I just needed a little time.

" Dick, is everything okay?" Rachael said as we sat in our last class.

" Fine, why?" I asked her.

" I got a note today," she whispered quietly. And she put it on the desk.

" Interesting." I said.

" Isn't it? If you needed help, I can help you. But who are these others?" She asked me quietly.

" You'll just have to come and find out. And make sure you aren't wearing normal clothes. Put on your disguise." I whispered back.

" You know my "disguise" is my normal look." She whispered back.

" I know, I'm just a little nervous about the little meeting." I said.

" Is it about what you were talking about with Barbara?"

" I thought you said you didn't want to pry, but it does have something to do with it." I said as I stood up and started walking out if the room and towards the locker rooms for hero prep.

When I finished, I got into the room and waited. I knew no one would come in. The door was locked, only the rings for hero prep could let you in, and you had to go in through the locker rooms.

" Look here little man," Cyborg came running in and I quickly got into a stance," I didn't care who you are, how do you know who I am?"

" I'm Robin, and to be fair, all I had to do was look up incidents that could have been responsible for making a cyborg. When I had those, I checked technology, and then matched names of kids that went to this school." I said easing up in my stance a little. I knew he was strong, and he was angry.

" So you think you can just find out who we are, and then we will help you?" He asked me still a little angry.

" Look, I'm sorry, but it was necessary. I'm not going to tell anyone, and I won't put you at risk or anything, I just want you to hear me out." I said.

" So I don't have to join your little team?" He asked.

" No, I just wanted to open it up to you." I said.

" So do you know everyone in this school?"

" No, I only do things like this when it is completely necessary, and trust me, it is." I said calmly, and to my relief, we both sat down.

" Greetings new friends, I look forward to hearing your request of us new friend Robin. May I ask why it has been requested?" Starfire said walking in.

" Yeah, something I wouldn't mind knowing either." Raven said as she walked in.

" And I plan on telling you, but we are still waiting on one more." I said, and then he walked in.

" No fair dude, how long did you know?" Beast Boy said walking in and taking a seat.

" I work with Batman, how could I not know? I've known since the first time we worked together." I said.

" So, we have two people trained, and then the rest of us?" Raven asked sarcastically.

" I know you have plenty of training, we just need to put it to action. And all of you are in hero prep." I said.

" Okay, now why are we here?" Cyborg asked.

" I need your help. Joker is planning something big, and he is trying to use me for it. I don't know why and neither does Batman. But even if he did, he wouldn't tell me. So, because of his plan to take down Batman by using me somehow, we need to figure out why. The only thing is, he's disappeared." I said as I pulled up a computer screen. I saw them all look from the screen to me. It showed some of the things I spotted yesterday. The gas, the ripped up blueprints, and so on.

" But," I continued," we do know how to find his partner."

" Care to enlighten us?" Raven asked. And I pulled up a picture of Jester, and showed a tracking device.

" Nice! I'm in, this is going to be so cool! When do we leave?" Beast Boy asked.

" Hopefully tonight, I'm tracking him right now. If you guys still have your communicators, I can let you know where to meet." I said.

" Who said the rest of us were in? We would hat to ruin your little reunion." Cyborg said standing up and gesturing to me and Beats Boy.

" We need you guys if this is going to work. But the decision is up to you. I can do this alone, or we can do this together. So, who's in?" I asked.

" I am willing to participate if it means helping my new friends." Starfire answered and I nodded.

" I have nothing better to do, and by the sound of it, you could use some help." Raven said looking at me with her eyes, and I knew she knew what was really going on. Especially after the past few encounters.

" Great, and Cyborg?" I asked and we all turned to look at him.

" I'll give it a try, bird boy. But when I decide I'm done, I'm done." Cyborg said.

" Great, welcome to the team." I said.

" Shouldn't we have a name? You know, other than the team." Raven said.

" Good idea, we could be the mega kids. Or team Beast. I like the sound of that last one." Beast Boy said excitedly.

" I'm not a kid, and I refuse to be on a team named after the green bean." Cyborg said.

" Well do you have any suggestions?" Beast Boy said.

" Anything is better than Team Beast." Cyborg responded, and we all laughed a little.

" What about the Titans?" Raven said.

" Like from the mythology of Greek?" Starfire asked.

" That's a good idea, but we are a little young to go but the name Titans." I said thinking it over.

" What about Teen Titans the," she said.

" That actually doesn't sound too bad," Cyborg said and smiled.

" Alright, does everyone like that?" I asked.

" Well if Team Beast is out, I can deal with Teen Titans. It does sound pretty cool." Beast Boy said giving a goody grin.

" Teen Titans is a go," I said and then we all soon went off in our own separate directions. I hoped this worked, I had a good feeling about it. I just had to make sure Barbara and Bruce didn't find out.

* * *

** I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and favorited! If anyone has chapter ideas that they want to see, or a story idea, I would love to hear them. So let me know :)**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for the review, and yes the adventures for the Teen Titans have just begun :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

As I walked home, decided I needed an excuse not to go on patrol tonight, or at least make it seem like Bruce had a reason to tell me I shouldn't come. I knew he already thought I wasn't feeling well, which was kind of true, so I figured I should build on that.

I already looked exhausted from the lack of sleep I've been getting, and I felt even worse after the Joker gas incident. Come to think of it, maybe I wasn't feeling very well. I guess I should use that to my advantage.

I started running so I would be a little flushed and out of breath, but when I started running, it happened sooner than I expected it to. I kept at it until I was close enough to the house. I started to walk up and entered the house.

" Master Dick, did you have a good day?" I heard Alfred yell from the kitchen. Time to put my plan into action.

" Yeah, it was good. Glad it's Friday, though." I said slowly and coughed a little.

" I know you weren't feeling your usual self this morning, so I made some soup for dinner." Alfred said again.

" That's fine, I think I'm just going to go upstairs now." I said and started towards the stairs. I was still a little out of breath, and then I started to cough a little. I tried to stop, but this time I couldn't. I assumed it was just an effect from the gas mixed with being out of breath. I hoped this would wear off by tonight.

" Is everything okay, sir?" Alfred asked as he walked in and I tried to control the fact that I couldn't breathe.

" Fine, just was running, I don't feel that great. Could I just have some water?" I asked him. My speaking was a little slow.

" Alright, why don't you go sit on the couch and I'll bring you some water." Alfred said. It was getting harder to breathe, and I didn't know why. I mean, Raven got rid of the gas, or at least made the worst of it go away. Maybe there was still some on my clothes, or it was finally starting to take full effect.

" Here you are." Alfred said handing me the water. I started to drink it, but as I did I started to feel a little nauseous, so I stopped.

" Thanks, I feel fine now." I lied, although I could breathe a little easier." I'm going to go in my room and lie down for a bit."

" Oh, alright, let me know if you need anything. Master Bruce will be home shortly, and then we can have dinner." Alfred said as he went back to the kitchen and I headed towards my room.

When I got there, I fell onto my bed. I felt really tired, maybe running wasn't my best idea. I changed out of my school uniform and into something comfortable. I didn't know what was going on, I still couldn't breathe normally. I knew it had something to do with the Joker gas. Maybe it was still on my clothes and when I started running, I breathed more in.

Only, that didn't explain why I knew what was going on. It could be that all of it started working and it had a delayed effect. I thought about grabbing my computer, but I was so comfortable, and all I wanted to do was sleep. Eventually, sleep gave in, and I was out.

" Dick?" I heard Bruce's voice and knocking on my door, then I heard the door open." Alfred said you weren't feeling well, is everything okay?"

" Yeah, I'm fine. I was just tired. I can still go on patrol tonight." I said as I started to sit up.

" You don't look too well, you sure you're okay?" Bruce asked a little concerned.

" I'm fine. Besides, you need me. I found out who Jester is," I said.

" Really? And who do you think it is?" He said. Although, I had a feeling he already knew.

" Jack, the kid who was a huge class clown last year, and then he suddenly had this urge for power and finding out everyone's secrets. I think Joker has a plan for something with the school, or someone in the school. Maybe he knows about hero prep." I said, and then I started to cough unwillingly again.

" Are you okay?" He asked as I cleared my throat.

" You already asked me that, and I'm fine." I said.

" Look, your theory about the Jokers plan, I can look into it. And the Jester, I found out it was Jack earlier this afternoon, I was going to tell you, but it really think you should stay home tonight and rest a little." He said calmly.

" You just don't want me to come tonight." I said a little hurt." You don't trust me, do you?"

" You don't know what's going on, and you don't feel well. I'm only looking out for you." He said.

" I know that Joker wants to use me to get to you, okay? I know what's going on, Barbara told me. And I can help! If you would just let me!" I yelled. I was mad, it came on so sudden, and then I started coughing. I couldn't breathe, and it was starting to get dark, I felt myself falling backwards, and then Bruce caught me.

" Dick! Alfred, something's wrong!" I heard Bruce yell.

" Yes master Bruce, oh dear!" Alfred said as he came in." Should we bring him to the cave?"

" No, I don't think we should move him. Could you bring some stuff up here?" Bruce said, it was getting harder to keep my eyes open.

" Of course, sir. What will you need?" Alfred asked. They were trying to stay calm, but I knew they were worried. It was different from the other times, I was worried this time. It hurt, and I felt completely helpless, and my eyes felt so heavy.

" An oxygen mask, and I want to do a blood test." He said as he looked down at me. I heard Alfred leave, and it started to get darker. I really couldn't breathe, I was out of air. I just wanted it to be over.

" Dick, listen to me. I don't know what's going on, but you're going to be okay. I need you to keep your eyes poem, can you do that?" He said as he got closer to me and started chalking my pulse. I tried to moan, but I couldn't.

" Dick, come on, you have to breathe okay? Just keep your eyes open, say something!" Alfred came back, and they started booking me up to machines. Soon the room was filled with the noise of the monitors beeping.

" Dick, come on, you're going to be okay. Please, answer me," He was getting really worried, and I couldn't stay awake any longer, and it finally went completely black. It was over, and I was okay with that. The pain was gone, maybe this was Jokers last laugh.

* * *

**A cliffhanger, just for you guys. What do you think will happen, will they still have a mission tonight? Let me know your thoughts. ****I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and favorited! If anyone has chapter ideas that they want to see, or a story idea, I would love to hear them. So let me know :)**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Glad you liked it, cliffhanger and all :)**

**Guest: thanks for the review, and here's the chapter!**

**Ladyking Chichi: Thanks for the follow, love the support :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Bruce POV

Dick was laying there, he looked so helpless and weak, I felt so helpless and weak. There was nothing we could do, we were waiting for test results to finish. We had moved him down to the cave after his breathing was a little more stable. I couldn't help but feel that this was all my fault.

I tried to protect him, but instead I just kept it from him. He didn't have his guard up, and I couldn't even bother to make sure everything was okay. I didn't do any tests, I just wanted it to be okay. I guess I didn't think Joker was trying kill him. I didn't even know if that was the intention. For all I know, he just had too much of the gas.

The gas slowed senses, but it affected him differently. It slowed his body to a stop. Occasionally, he would twitch and then start smiling, and then nothing. I couldn't keep doing this. It was all my fault. What was I thinking! Why if course Dick, why don't you come on some missions that could result in your death, that sounds like a great idea. I was, I am, so stupid! How could I let this happen?

" Here, master Bruce! have something to eat. It will help." Alfred said as he put a bowl of soup down next to me.

" It's all my fault, I should have done something." I said quietly.

" Sir you can't blame yourself. This was the Jokers doing, not yours." Alfred said as he put a hand on my shoulder.

" I could have, should have, done some tests to find out what the problem was. But I was a coward, I wanted to pretend it was all okay." I said.

" Sir, remember how distraught you were. And young master Dick will be okay." He said it with confidence, but I could tell he was worried too.

" He's my son Alfred! My responsibility, and is let this happen!" I yelled. I was angry and I didn't ow hat to do anymore. And then some of the machines started beeping.

" I see he's more than just a ward to you, I understand that. But you have to be strong, let him know you haven't given up. Now, by the sound of it, I think those test results are done." Alfred said walking over to several machines and started to take things from each one and brought them to me.

" Here we are, sir." Alfred said walking back over.

" I'm sorry Alfred." I said.

" It is quite alright, we are all nervous for his sake." Alfred replied gently.

" I'm going to check these out, make sure nothing changes." I said walking over to the lab section of the cave.

" Of course, sir. Should we contact young Barbara?" He asked, and I thought about it for a moment.

" I guess we should, but don't tell her how serious it is, just let her know he had a little accident." I said.

" If that is your wish, shall we invite her to come and see him?"

" No, not until I find out what I can do. Just give her an update." I said trying to stay calm as I started looking over the results and Alfred dialed Barbara.

It looked like there were trackers in his blood cells, like it had joined for his genetics. Which would explain why we didn't see it the first time. It was supposed to try to weaken him so he would be easier to control, which would explain the weaker immune system, his rash decisions he has been making lately, loss of his athletic abilities, and why he has been more prone to slip up during patrols.

It also showed that it was working its way up to his brain. The good news was, it wasn't strong enough to take control of him, although it could try to pursued him the closer he got to Joker and Jester. But, it could put him in a coma if we didn't do something about it.

It was in his system, but in time it would work itself out. The only problem was, I didn't know how much time he had left. I knew I couldn't stop it, but I could speed up the process. I started to work on something he could breathe in that could help with the process and speed it up. I knew in the end it was up to him.

Since it would take a while to be finished, I walked back over to Dick. I just looked at him, and I felt so guilty. If I had told him, maybe he wouldn't be lying here right now. He had been out for two hours, and usually when stuff like this happens and we give him something, he would at least open his eyes by now. Even his vitals were still weak, they had little improvement. But I hoped that this antidote type gas would help. But if he gave up fighting back, it would be over, and that wasn't an option.

I lost my train of that when I heard Alfred arguing with what sounded like Barbara.

" No, you can't just tell me there is something wrong and then not let me see him! This is my problem too!" Barbara yelled, she was upstairs and trying to get in.

" I'm sorry, but master Bruce wishes you to wait." Alfred said as he tried to convince her to stay upstairs.

" Sure, of course." I heard her say, and then Alfred let out a small yell, and I heard Barbara running down the stairs into the cave.

" What happened?" She said shocked as she saw Dick lying there, I saw her look at the monitors and then at me.

" We aren't exactly sure, but it has something to do with the Joker gas taking full effect." I said quietly and I motioned her to come closer.

" Is he going to be okay?" She asked quietly.

" I think so, eventually anyway, but it's up to him." I said.

" What do you mean?" She asked a little confused at my comment.

" The chemical is trying to take his abilities and store them to use at a later time when Joker needs them. I'm not sure if they will be transferred, or if it has something to do with jokers plan to use them. Either way, it takes away his advantages, such as his athletic ability, his ability to think through situations, immune system, pain resistance, and so in. As it is still there, it isn't as strong as it usually is. Even his vitals are getting weaker, but over time it wears off. So I have something that should help speed up the process." I explained.

" Oh, so it's like an illness?" She asked after thinking it over.

" I guess that's one way to put it, but it's saving everything it's taking, and I can't figure out why." I said.

" Maybe it can be exposed in the opposite way Dick plans it. So when he tries to use them, it gets hard to do so, and when he isn't trying to do it for his own reasons, it's stronger." She said.

" That has some sense to it, defiantly a Joker idea. But why Dick?" I asked more to myself than to Barbara.

" Well, he was raised to do this, and he and the Joker aren't exactly best friends." She said, she was trying to get me to relax a little.

" I guess, I just wish I knew what he was planning." I started just as the machine went off, the gas was done. I stood up and brought it over, I attached it to the air supply so he could just breathe it in.

" And now, we wait." She said as I sat back down.

" We wait." I said. After a few minutes, the batwave went off.

" It's Joker." Barbara said looking at me." What do you want to do?"

" I want to go after him, but I can't leave Dick, not like this." I said, even though his vitals started getting a little stronger.

" Sir, the Batman is needed. I can watch over master Dick." Alfred said. I looked at the computer, and it showed the location. A wear house, the same wear house where Dick was first infected.

" Dick needs me, I can't be the Batman when my son needs me." I said firmly.

" You've done all you can, we just have to wait. And I can let you know if anything happens. Besides, this could be your chance to make sure this doesn't happen again." Alfred said as I thought it over.

" Alfred has a point, we should go. I have a feeling Dick was just a test subject." Barbara said standing up.

" What worries you sir?" Alfred asked trying to catch my gaze.

" I can't lose him, not again. I can't lose someone else I care about." I said to Alfred.

" Please sir, that was not your fault, and neither is this. And he will not die, not tonight and not like this. He is strong, and he will be here when you return." Alfred said, I decided I should go, for Dicks sake. I could help him, and Alfred could help him here.

" Alright, but if anything changes, good or bad, I want to know. I don't want him to wake up and have me gone." I said putting my suit on.

" Understood, hurry back." Alfred said as we hopped in the car, and we were off, and I felt confident that Dick would recover. I just had to decide what to do about Joker, I already didn't want Barbara to come along, but I knew I couldn't stop her, and I needed her for this.

* * *

**I wanted to experiment a little and try it from this point of view, I hope it was okay. Let me know your thoughts. ****I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and favorited! If anyone has chapter ideas that they want to see, or a story idea, I would love to hear them. So let me know :)**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for the review! I know typos are really annoying, and I'm going to try to see if someone else could look over it to get the ones I miss before I send it in, but do they get in the way of the story? Thanks again, enjoy the chapter:)**

**Spooksvillefan4ever: Thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words, it means a lot that you enjoy it. Also, thank you for the follows and favorites, love the support!**

**Verdantia(Guest):Thanks for the review, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

I couldn't tell where I was. I didn't feel like I was here, more like acknowledging that I was. I couldn't move, I couldn't tell if that was because I was so exhausted or if it was because I had been taken captive. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't. My body wouldn't cooperate. I started to wonder if I was even alive. I tried to stay calm, but it's hard to do so when all you hear is a constant beeping noise that may or may not be a bomb.

I tried to focus on not panicking, as that made things worse. If only I could move. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't move. I could be dead, or maybe I was still somewhere between sleeping and waking up. But this didn't feel like my bed, it felt familiar, though.

" Ah, sir, there you are." I heard a familiar voice say, it sounded like Alfred's, I started to relax a little." I still am not sure when he will awaken, I've given you updates, was there something I missed?"

" No, Joker got away." This voice belonged to Bruce, he sounded angry.

" Did you find any clues?" Alfred asked.

" No. Joker and Jester both got away before we could say anything." This voice was Barbara's, only she sounded upset, and then her voice turned to worry." Will he be okay?"

" Yes, he is doing better since it first happened, but young master Dick is still weak and vulnerable." Alfred said calmly. All of a sudden, I started to panick again, I didn't understand why exactly. I felt all alone, and something was happening to me. It felt wrong. Like something was trying to take my energy away, and I couldn't fall back asleep again, that's where the nightmares were. They felt so real, and I couldn't go back, I couldn't watch my parents die over and over again.

" His heart!" Barbara shouted.

" What's going on?" Alfred said, they all sounded worried, which made me panick even more. If I could just wake up!

" Everybody stay calm. His stress levels are very high, and I think he is just having a small panic attack. We need to be calm, he's in some state where he can't wake up or move much, but I think he can hear some of what we're saying." Bruce explained calmly, and then I heard the others walk over and sit down.

" Bruce, he is going to be okay, right?" Barbara asked quietly.

" He'll live, but I don't know what happened when he after he was knocked out, or why Joker felt it necessary to make him fall asleep. But we will find out, and Dick will be back to normal." Bruce said in a quiet voice, but he sounded sad.

" What's wrong, master Bruce, you are doing everything you can." Alfred said.

" Right before it happened, we were arguing. He thought I didn't trust him, and he said he knew Joker was after him. We were fighting, what if that was the last conversation we can ever have that will be normal." Bruce said.

" I'm sorry Bruce, I told him earlier, and I shouldn't have." Barbara said apologetically.

" It's fine, he was already suspicious. You probably made it a little better by telling him." Bruce replied.

" And now, we wait." Alfred said sitting back down. The room was quiet, all you could hear was the loud, constant, and fast beeping of the heart monitor. It was trying to keep my heart rate steady, but it couldn't keep up. My chest hurt, everything hurt, and I felt like I was a prisoner in my own body.

" Dick? Come on Dick, wake up." Bruce was talking to me again, trying to get me to wake up. It had been a while, and I could move my hand a little, the only problem was, now I wanted to sleep. I tried to talk, but all that came was a moan. An improvement I guess.

" Is he waking up this time?" Barbara asked him. I guess this had happened before.

" He does seem more alert now." Alfred said. I moaned again, I was trying to talk, I had to find out what happened.

" Bruce? What happened?" I said slowly as I tried to sit up, but then I was forced back down.

" Are you okay? It's going to be okay now." Bruce said, he was hugging me. Now I was getting worried.

" I'm fine, would someone like to tell me what happened?" I asked, my memory of what happened before I fell unconscious is a little fuzzy.

" It doesn't matter, you're going to be okay!" Barbara said excitedly and hugged me too.

" I am very relieved you are alright, sir." Alfred said jointing in on the hug.

" Okay, but what happened?" I asked again, they let go of me at this point.

" You don't remember?" Bruce asked me.

" Not exactly, I remember coming home from school, I was angry, and I wasn't feeling well." I said slowly as I tried to remember.

" Yeah, the joker gas was in your system. Part of why you were angry, but we were also arguing." Bruce explained.

" Yeah, I think I remember that." I said remembering what had happened." I'm sorry, by the way."

" It's okay, you should probably get some rest." Bruce said.

" I'm good on rest, besides, I don't feel like reliving the worst days of my life over and over again." I said offhandedly.

" What are you talking about?" Barbara asked.

" The nightmares, are those new?" I asked.

" Those would be new, what were they about?" He asked. I looked around for a while, a little embarrassed that I had just shared that I was afraid to fall asleep because of nightmares, just like a child. And then Bruce got a little closer." Was it your parents?" He asked me, and I nodded.

" It's okay," he said patting me on my shoulder slightly. And then I was startled by the batwave going off.

" Duty calls, sir." Alfred said.

" Make sure Dick gets something to eat, we'll be back soon." Bruce said as he and Barbara stood up to leave.

" Wait! I can come, I'm fine." I said trying to get out of the bed.

" No!" Bruce said as he caught me just as I was about to fall. He put me back down and continued." You need to rest, understand?"

" Fine, I'll stay here." I said quietly. The other two got in the car and drove off, it was quiet for a while.

" Very well, I will get you something to eat." Alfred said as he walked upstairs.

This was my chance, I could contact the others, and I could find out what was going on. I figured Alfred would be a while, so I quickly got up and got on my Robin suit. I left a note, it explained that I went to help and I had my communicator. I waited for a while, and when it was clear, I took the R-cycle and left. I had to be fast, Alfred would be down soon, and then he might contact Bruce.

" Calling all Teen Titans, you are needed at these coordinates I'm sending you now. I'll meet you there." I said, and soon I started to get replies from the rest of them. I checked the time. It was a little past eleven, which ment I was out for almost seven hours. And then Alfred contacted me.

" Yes, Alfred?" I asked.

" May I ask why you left?" He asked me.

" I'm fine, and I brought everything I need. I'll be back shortly, I'm only going to watch." I said trying to convince him to let me stay.

" Oh, very well, but do hurry back, sir." He said as he hung up, and I continued towards the warehouse.

* * *

**Here you go, another chapter, let me know your thoughts about it. ****I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and favorited! If anyone has chapter ideas that they want to see, or a story idea, I would love to hear them. So let me know :)**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Yes, typical Robin, I hope it wasn't too expected, though :)**

**Spooksvillefan4ever: Thanks, I'm glad you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

As I drove towards the warehouse, I started to worry. I wasn't worried about passing out or something, I was worried, because what if this was what Joker wanted? I mean, I don't think I still would have forced myself to come unless this had happened. I was beginning to question if it was me wanting to know, or if Joker had programmed the gas to get me to act on impulse and find him. That would get to Bruce, me risking my life over and over again for little to no reason. I didn't know how much longer I could take this before I went insane. It was like I was battling a war all on my own, inside of myself. And the trouble with that is, no one can help you.

" Calling Robin, I'm here, and so is Batman. Did he know we were coming?" I heard Raven ask through the communicator. Great, I don't know why I didn't think of this.

" Yeah, Joker has something he needs. We are here more for Jester, though." I said calmly. This was partially true, but hopefully, Batman doesn't know we're here." But we can't be seen, kind of like the test. Only be seen if necessary, that goes for helping Batman too."

" So he doesn't want to help us, and he doesn't want us to help him?" She asked trying to understand what I meant.

" Exactly, we stay separate unless I say otherwise." I finished.

" Who made you the leader?" I heard Cyborg say.

" It was my idea, besides this is my mission." I said, that probably wasn't the best move.

" Then why don't you just go with Batman, why do you need us?" Cyborg asked.

" Look, that's what we are going to find out." I said trying to stay calm.

" Besides, Robin has experience, and it was his idea. We can't argue now, if we want a different leader after this, that's when we should decide." Raven said.

" Fine, but Beast Boy has experience too. I think he's just tired of playing sidekick." Cyborg said, which was a little hurtful, but I moved on. After a while I was on the roof of the warehouse and waited for the rest of the team.

" You will be a fine leader, Robin." Raven said as she walked over to me.

" I'm not so sure, besides, you're the one who got us to stop arguing." I pointed out.

" It doesn't matter, I couldn't be a leader. You handled the situation calmly, I would have ended it, and that might of made it worse." She said.

" Thanks." I said as the others arrived.

" What is the plan?" Starfire asked.

" Well, basically, Batman and Batgirl are dealing with Joker. As you already know, he has a new gas that goes after certain people and effects them differently. We have to find Jester, get information on what he's doing, and try to avoid a confrontation." I explained.

" Why avoid confrontation, I thought that was why we're here?" Cyborg asked.

" Dude, isn't that Jester down there?" Beast Boy pointed out.

" Right." I said as I jumped away onto a different rooftop, and got behind him. I looked around and saw that they didn't move.

" Guys, get into a possession where you can see him." I said.

" A leader would have said that instead of just running off." Cyborg said.

" Just move out." I said as I started to get out some equipment. I grabbed a tracker, so that we could find him later, if we needed to. I looked around, and when it was clear, I jumped forward a little and then started to run. When I got closer, I flipped over him and dropped the locator down below me. When I got on the next roof, I turned it on, I also hacked into his communicating system with Joker.

" Okay, we're in." I said updating the rest of the team.

" And, what did you do exactly? You know, besides fancy flips." Beast Boy asked.

" I tracked him, I also hacked into the communicating system." I said.

" Cool! But, how do we find him?" Beats Boy asked.

" I bet bird boy over there has a device for that too." Cyborg said.

" I do, but it's for one system. Cyborg, if you come here, we could reconnect it so the rest of you can have it on your communicators." I said.

" Okay, I see you and I'm coming over." He said. Good, at least we could work together.

" But won't they hear us talking to each other?" Starfire asked.

" No, it's only one way. We had these once before when the Doom Patrol worked with Batman." Beast Boy explained.

" Right, it's all set up." Cyborg said, and soon, everyone had it.

" Alright follow him, and figure out where he's going before he gets there." I said running off once more. We followed him for a while, until I realized what was happening.

" There's another warehouse." I said.

" Yes, Robin, there are other warehouses." Raven said sarcastically.

" Yes, but he is going to another one." I explained.

" And which one would that be?" Cyborg asked.

" I'm going to try to see if I can get any memory from his communicator. I know Joker keeps some on them for future reference." I explained.

" That's great, get hacking." Cyborg said.

" Yes, do the hacking. I shall follow from the sky if that is alright." Starfire said.

" Sure, just don't be seen." I said, and I began hacking.

" Got it, 203." I said, and I ran ahead.

" Locked, find an entrance." I said when they all got there.

" I can bust it open." Cyborg said.

" Don't, you'll blow our cover." Raven said.

" There's nothing on the roof." Starfire said as she floated down.

" We need to get into the system," I said.

" The vents." Beast Boy and I said in unison.

" Great, and how am I support to get in without making noise? If you hadn't noticed, I'm half metal." Cyborg asked.

" The vents have silencers, it looks like." I said hopping up.

" Great, we can go stealth." Beast Boy said.

" If that is your plan, we might want to move before he gets here." Raven said.

" It's high up, How do we get up?" Cyborg said just as I jumped up and took down the vent, I almost slipped, but quickly got through. Beast Boy was right behind me, he had turned into a squirrel. Starfire flew up, and Raven levitated herself and Cyborg. When everyone was in, I had Raven close the vent.

" Alright, he's in." I said spotting him after a while.

We followed him through the vent, and then Joker started talking.

" I'll meet you at 203, but bats is on my tail." Joker said.

" Got it, did you want to use some if the bombs?" Jester asked.

" We'll see, we have to save them for the school still." At this we froze, Joker was going to get rid of the school, and I had a good feeling it was our school.

" I'm getting a bomb, wait here." I said.

" So, little spiky dude is just going to go grab an explosive, and you're all okay with that?" Cyborg asked.

" He knows what he's doing." I heard Beast Boy say.

I followed Jester down a flight of stairs, I crawled into another vent and looked for some bombs. When I saw one, I jumped down, and grabbed one. They were small, but powerful.

" Well, look who it is. I wasn't expecting you to be here. I heard you were a little under the weather. Joker said you would be here though, something about you not being able to miss the excitement." Jester said as he started to laugh. I took this opportunity to knock him down. I through a smoke bomb at him. I couldn't draw too much attention to myself, I just needed the bomb.

" Oh, batsy, where's the little bat brat? I was hoping he could make it." Joker said. They started to fight each other. Batgirl was looking for the bombs.

" Well I hope he still has a sense of humor. Luckily he gets that from me and not you." Joker taunted. He was talking about the gas. So it did do something to me. Personality and other things, like my agility, my strategy. But what did he want with them?

" Oh, he is here, this will be fun after all." Joker said as Jester came up behind me.

" Titans, in the main room, I got one. Jester spotted me, and Joker knows we are here." I said quietly. And soon the rest of them showed up.

We quickly took down Jester, and Raven held him in the air for a while, and she put him down and I tied him to a pole. Joker started following us, now we were the targets.

" Oh look, the bat brat has friends!" Joker started." You will have to forgive me, I don't have time for introductions."

As he said it, he through what looked like poppers at us, and then they started to smoke.

" Run!" I yelled. I had a feeling there was original Joker Gas in them. Joker had grabbed Batgirl, I ran over and knocked him down, giving her a chance to get away.

" What are you downing here? And where did you find back up?" She asked me as we began fighting off Jokers goons.

" After school activity, I'm not that stupid. I knew I needed help, and they helped. I have one of the bombs, and they are planning to blow up a school, along with these warehouses. Jester is loading a truck out back. I have two people on it, another in here with me, and one as a look out as I needed." I said as we each gave them one last punch.

" Great, but we can handle it." She said, she wanted me to go back to the cave.

" I'll manage." I said throwing a few smoke bombs. I ran over to Batman, he kept looking at me.

" I'm fine, besides, I brought some friends with me. There's a truck out back, I think Joker is going to get away soon. And then, this place will be set on fire." I said with urgency.

" Thanks for the update, but you shouldn't have come." He said.

" And why not?" I asked." I'm doing just fine."

" As I recall, you were spotted." He said.

" So were you,"

" On purpose, that was my goal, not yours." He explained. And then, we heard a ticking noise.

" Get down, and tell your team to get out. Now!" Batman said. I started talking into the communicator.

" Get out, this place is about to blow! Get to the roof!" I said through the speaker.

" Okay, me and BB are on our way." Cyborg said.

" I am out of harms reach, where is friend Raven and yourself?" Starfire asked. Raven! I didn't know where she was.

" I'll be fine, Robin, where are you?" She asked.

" With Batman." I said as we tried to run out. It was all happening so fast, I needed to find Raven.

" Robin wait! The door, is this way!" Batman said as he and Batgirl started running toward the door.

" And Raven is this way!" I yelled, and I that point, I found Raven, or she found me. And the bomb went off. Batman and Batgirl got unde their cloaks, but I was too late. At first I felt heat, and then nothing. I looked up, and Raven was standing there, she had put up a shield.

" I can't hold it forever, it's getting too hot, and I can't teleport us both out right now. When I put it down, I need you to run, okay?" She asked me.

" Got it." And then she put it down, and I ran toward the door. Fire was everywhere, and the building was collapsing. I heard another beeping, the bomb I had in my pouch! I couldn't put it out, and if I put it down, it could hurt Raven too. I tried throwing it, but as I did, it went off. I tried to cover myself, but it didn't work very well.

" Robin!" Raven said as I tried to get up.

" Get out, stop Joker." I said weakly.

" And leave you behind, not a chance." She said as she picked me up, and helped me walk out. She pushed stuff out of the way with her magic, and we got out. We were both coughing a lot as our lungs searched for clean air.

" Robin!" Batgirl said as she helped to support me." Are you two okay?"

" I'm fine, but I don't think he is." Raven said gesturing towards me. She gave both of us an oxygen mask. After a while, Raven handed hers back.

" I'll be okay." I said as Batman took me from both of the, and helped me to stand. Raven looked from me to Batman.

" He didn't know, did he." Raven said. It wasn't a question, she knew.

" No, he did not. And you kids didn't know what was going on. And Robin, I told you to stay at the cave, and you disobeyed orders." He said angrily, and to make it worse the rest of the team walked towards us.

" Is everyone okay?" Starfire asked.

" We're fine, Starfire." Raven answered.

" We worked pretty well together," Cyborg said as he smiled at me.

" You kids go home, thanks for your help. But next time, just leave it to us." Batman said as he started to walk away.

" Wait, I thought you said he knew?" Beast Boy asked as he looked toward me.

" Beast Boy, right?" Batman asked and he nodded." Your help was not needed tonight. Joker is planning something, and it is a situation in which your help is not necessary. Please, leave this situation alone."

" We did good, we stopped him from getting the bombs." Cyborg said.

" You only delayed the process, and now we will just have a harder time tracking them." Batman said.

" They did good work, Batman. All of us did." I said.

" Yes, you helped retrieve information, but you did it without my knowledges and you put yourselves in danger. That's final." He said and started helping me towards the car once more.

" I still think we made a great team." Cyborg said as the rest of them split off and headed in separate directions.

" Dick," Bruce said when we were back in the cave. I was back on the bed, and I was breathing in some of the stuff he made to quicken the process and help get the Joker Gas out of my system, along with some oxygen." Why did you come tonight?"

" I needed to." I said.

" You could have gotten yourself killed." Barbara said. She was worried, she always treated me like I was her little brother or something.

" But I didn't."

" Yes, but this is what Joker wanted. The gas is effecting you, and you keep giving him what he wants." Bruce said quickly, and then he sighed and walked closer to where I was sitting. His words made me upset, I didn't know who I was anymore. Where did I begin and where did the gas end?

" I'm sorry," I said. I was so mad at myself, I felt like crying. I realized this wa Jokers plan all along. He wanted me to drag down Batman. Slow him down, make both of them worry, and get myself hurt or killed. I was helping Joker, and I couldn't even see it. I would have to question everything, and this was just the beginning of his plan.

" Barbara, why don't you go upstairs. Let Alfred know what happened, we'll be up soon.' He said. Once Barbara left, it all came out.

" I'm sorry, I didn't know." I said, I was trying to hold back the tears, but I couldn't." I played right into his plan, he wanted me to do it. All of it. He wanted me to set up a team, slow you down. He wanted me to get rid of the threats, and I helped him!"

" Dick, it's okay." He said sitting down next to me, he was holding on to me, trying to get me to calm down.

" This is probably part of his plan too. Get me to lose it, slow you down, and then he will get more time to plan his next move." I said thinking to over.

" Dick, you have control. It's okay, we would all act the same way if we found this out." He said quietly.

" It's what he wants. I gave him what he wanted! I didn't listen to you, but you knew what was going on!" I started yelling, I couldn't even seem to control that.

" Only because I didn't want him to know about you knew. It's okay, Dick, your safe now." He said. He kept telling me I was safe, and that it was okay.

" No it's not, it's all my fault. You were right to be worried. I could have gotten everyone hurt, or worse." I said. I was lost in thought. It was all getting slow again.

" But you didn't. What happened tonight, that wasn't on you. Yo didn't cause the explosion, he did." Bruce said as I started to cry again. I hated this! It wasn't me, I didn't want to be like this!

" I took a bomb, I almost killed Raven!" I yelled.

" No you didn't, you were trying to help. It's okay, your okay, it will be okay again. I promise." He said calmly.

" Let's go upstairs. You need some rest." Bruce said. I tried to protest, but I didn't have the energy. He picked me up, as I couldn't walk very well, because my leg was hit during the explosion.

" I can't sleep, I don't want to. I'll just be trapped with myself." I protested.

" Dick, you need sleep, we won't leave you alone, if that's what you want." He said. I felt so scared, like some little kid afraid of the dark. He set me down on the couch, and walked over to Alfred and Barbara. I could tell they were talking about the effect of the gas, tonight, and that I knew.

" Let's watch a movie." Barbara said sitting down next to me.

" I'll make some popcorn." Alfred said heading back into the kitchen.

" What do you an at to watch Dick?" Bruce asked me as he sat down.

" You don't have to treat me like a child." I said.

" We don't mean to," Bruce started.

" Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." I said, Barbara put in a movie and the opening titles started.

" Forget about what happened, just relax a bit." Barbara said as Alfred passed over the popcorn. Soon the movie started, but I wasn't really watching it, I was thinking about what happened. I could tell they were all worried about me, they were watching me. I soon fell asleep, and was greeted by more nightmares.

* * *

**A nice long chapter, I hope you liked it. A lot happened, what do you think? I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and favorited! If anyone has chapter ideas that they want to see, or a story idea, I would love to hear them. So let me know :)**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Good guess, I think you'll like where I go with it.**

**Spooksvillefan4ever: Glad you like how I'm writing his character.**

**JosoRichards: Thanks for the follows and favorites, love the support :)**

**Zappadap: Thanks for the follow and favorite, it means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

I woke up in a strange room. I couldn't tell where I was, but it looked familiar. I was lying on a cot, and I couldn't move very well. I tried to stay calm, this happened sometimes. More recently after everything that's been happening. Only, it wasn't exactly sleep paralysis, I could move a little. I just had to stay calm, someone would come check on me soon, and then I would snap out of it.

There was a ringing in my ear, it was annoying, and I couldn't figure out a reason for it. Then, I heard someone coming. I tried to sit up, but couldn't. Usually, I would snap out of it by now. I kept trying, and then, I realized I was in a straight jacket. One would think that you would notice something like this, unless I was drugged.

Now I started to panic. This was weird. I didn't know what had happened, was I in a mental hospital? Did I attack someone? What happened? I needed answers, and to get answers I needed to stay calmed. Only problem was, that was almost impossible right now.

" Robin, good to see your awake." Said a familiar voice. I couldn't see his face as he walked in. He called me Robin, so I must still have my mask, or I'm in the batcave.

" What's going on?" I tried to say. My throat was dry, so it came out a little slow and raspy. I tried to get a look at the person, but he had turned around and started messing with what I assumed to be medication.

" Patience, boy blunder." It sounded familiar, and it wasn't a good thing." You're in Arkahm, don't worry, you'll fit in just fine."

" How did I get here? Why am I in a straight jacket?" I asked. I heard him laugh, I was panicking. There was no way I got so out of control that Batman would put me here. Or did he really just give up on me?

" Now stay still, it will be over soon." He said as he turned around picking up several needles, and walking towards me. When he walked into the light, I saw his face. It was Joker, and I knew it was going to be over. I panicked, I couldn't handle this. Batman had abandoned me, Bruce had abandoned me. And now, I was at Jokers hands, and I let this happen. If only I did something different.

I started to squirm and scream, but no once could hear me, and I doubt anyone cared. I was just another loony patient about to become another victim of the Joker.

" Calm down, trust me, this is for the better." He said as he began to laugh. He injected me with his serum. It burned. It hurt so much, I felt everything slow. My heart rate quickened and then dropped. I could feel my blood pump and then stop. The last thing I would hear would be my screams and Jokers laughter.

" Nooooo!" I yelled shooting up.

" Dick! Calm down! You're okay, it was just a dream." It was Bruce next to me. I was still on the couch, and Barbara was looking at me. Tears were falling down my face. I wish I had died, then it would be over. I could just be over. I deserved to end.

" Are you okay?" Barbara asked after a while.

" Fine." I said trying to stop the tears. I could help but feel that I was abandoned. It would probably happen soon, not even Bruce could deal with me like this forever.

" Alfred, could you drive Barbara home, it's late." Bruce said standing up and walking to the door. He was talking to Barbara. I couldn't hear what they were saying. I saw Barbara nod, and then Alfred went outside and I heard the car start. Bruce walked back over to me and sat down.

" We should probably wrap your leg." Bruce said as he looked at me. The tears had stopped, but now I was shaking. It felt so real, and I was almost disappointed, with myself, and the fact that I was still here.

" Yeah." I said quietly." What time is it?" I asked.

" Around one on the morning." He said looking at the clock." Gordon had night duty tonight, though. They had some break in, and then they wanted to check out the fire, follow Jokers trail." He finished quietly.

" Oh, so are you heading out soon, then?" I asked.

" No, I was there. They can handle it. Besides, I think you need my attention right now."

" I'm fine." I said angrily.

" You can lie to yourself if you want, but I know you're not. Now, do want to talk about it?" He asked, he was talking about the dream. I did not want to talk about it, not now anyway. I stayed quiet and looked at the floor until he started talking again.

" Come on, let's go check out your leg. Make sure it's okay." He said." Can you walk on it?"

" I'll be fine." I said pushing myself up. I tried standing up on it. I was holding onto the couch, and it still hurt. I tried to keep a poker face, but I couldn't imagine walking like this. I didn't think it was broken, maybe sprained and bruised, but not broken.

" Let me help you." Bruce said walking over to me after he watched me attempt to stand up.

" I can manage just fine by myself." I lied.

" You could make it worse," Bruce started.

" Good, one more thing I can mess up." I said angrily. This made him fall silent.

" I'm here if you need me." He said clearing the way so I could get by. I didn't say anything. All I could think about was how I would be able to take a step forward without falling over or gasping in pain.

I started walking, and it burned. I could tell the pressure was making it start to bleed again. It was like stretching a scar to the point were it almost splits. I took one more step, and I couldn't take it, and my leg gave out.

" Come on, everyone needs a little help every now and then." Bruce said helping me walk towards the clock that would lead to the cave.

" Thanks," I muttered. Soon, we were in the cave. I was on the table, and Bruce was unwrapping some gauze, and then stopped.

" I want to do a scan, and a blood test to make sure it's not infected." He said. He grabbed a swab, and took some blood from my leg, and then he grabbed his X-Ray goggles, and looked at my leg.

" I don't think it's broken, just sprained from the fall. You lost a lot of blood, I'm going to put something on it." He said going over to the cabinet and grabbing a cream." It helps the skin heal faster and makes a protective layer. It's something from Wayne tech. It's for when stitches are questionable. We hope to replace stitches with them, but right now, this is what it's for." He explained. He did this when he was nervous or worried. He was trying to get my mind off if things.

He quickly put it on after making sure it wasn't infected. It burned, and I held back showing that it hurt. Next, he warped it and gave me some crutches.

" I don't want you walking on that for a few days, understand?" He asked me.

" Got it." I said standing up, and heading towards the stairs.

" Dick, what happened?" He asked catching up with me. He wanted to talk about it.

" Nothing," I said.

" Nothing? So that's how you want to describe your reaction?"

" Look, it's just a reaction. It's not like it matters." I said turning around. I looked at his face. He was worried, I didnt know what to do.

" It matters to me, I can't lose you." He said quietly.

" Nothing's going to happen to me." I said. I wasn't weak, I could handle myself. He was treating me like a child, I didn't want to be protected.

" I know, but I'm here. We're all here. So if you want to talk, even if it's not to me, please talk to someone." He was getting desperate. I hated when he acted like this, it was rare. But, it still made me feel bad, which was his goal.

" Fine, can I go to bed now?" I asked.

" Good idea. Did you want to go upstairs, or just stay on the couch?" He asked. I thought about it, and then the stairs. I thought about the nightmare, it scared me, even though I didn't want to admit it.

" I'll just stay downstairs." I said after thinking about it.

" Okay, I'm going to do some work in the study, so if you need anything, I'll be close by." He said as we headed up. I figured he wouldn't leave me alone, or not completely alone. By the time we came upstairs, Alfred had set up the couch. He had pulled it out and set up the bed, I climbed over and got comfortable. I thought about the nightmare for a bit. I tried to think about something else, but then I fell asleep.

* * *

**I know not a lot was revealed, but I promise it's leading up to something good! I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and favorited! If anyone has chapter ideas that they want to see, or a story idea, I would love to hear them. So let me know :)**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: I'm glad you liked it, and it will come in the next chapter or so.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Dick POV

I woke up with a start. I had been running from something, someone. I tried to remember what it was, but I couldn't. I realized I was shaking, I tried to stop, but once again I couldn't. I looked around and saw it was still dark in here, and I had been moved to my room. I wondered what time it was, I could see the sun peeking through the curtains, but it seemed like no one was around.

I was alone again, and usually I wouldn't mind, but things have changed. I felt alone, I was left in the dark about so much now. And the worst part of this whole thing, was that I couldn't tell what was the gas and what was me. I couldn't tell if I was going mad, or if the gas was still effecting me. All I knew was that theses past few weeks didn't help me figure that out.

" I think he's awake, master Bruce." I heard Alfred say from the other room.

" Is he okay?" Bruce asked.

" I do not know, sir, but I think he is confused." Alfred said.

" Thanks Alfred, I was getting worried." Bruce said. I heard him stand up, he was walking towards my room. How long was I out?

" Hey, Dick, feeling any better?" He asked me as he sat down next to me. I looked at him for a while before I answered.

" I didn't know I wasn't feeling well," I said quietly.

" You woke up Sunday every now and then. Every time you did, you complained that you weren't feeling well, or you were in pain. Sometimes you would just wake up screaming and out of breath." Bruce said calmly." I didn't expect you to remember, we gave you a sedative."

" You sedated me?" I asked a little angry.

" You were in a lot of pain, we asked you first." He said.

" You probably would have done it anyway." I said.

" I might have. Look, something's wrong, and I don't know what it is. Please, talk to me." He said calmly.

" Nothing to talk about." I said. I wasn't in the mood to talk.

" Of course not." He said a little disappointed." Are you hungry?"

" No," I said. I was hungry, but I was starting to feel sick, and then my stomach grumbled.

" I'll have Alfred bring you something." He said as he stood up and went to find Alfred.

I listened to make sure he was gone, and then I lied down on my side and curled up in a ball. My stomach hurt, like when you're sick, the only thing was, I wasn't sick. Maybe my immune system was failing. My leg also hurt, and I ached all over. Maybe I just picked up a bug, or at least, I hoped I did.

I was failing, I could tell. I was letting everyone down, including myself. I knew not all of it was the gas. I had help with the gas getting out of my system, I knew I would still have some side effects, but that didn't mean I would feel myself again.

The problem was, I wasn't feeling myself even before the incident with the gas. I let people beat me up because I felt like I deserved it, I felt like I wasn't trusted, I felt like I was losing control. Maybe the gas took weaknesses and made them stronger, but that would still mean it would be my fault once again. I was loosing it, all of it. I needed to talk to someone, I needed to get out of here.

" Here, Dick." Bruce said handing me some soup.

" Thanks." I muttered and began to eat it, even though my body protested.

" I called school, and said you wouldn't be in for a few days." He said.

" Why?" I said quickly, I started coughing again, but it stopped quickly." I feel fine."

" Dick, it's Tuesday. You don't remember Sunday, and you were out yesterday. You need to recover, and I think your coming down with something." Bruce said, making it clear it wasn't up for debate.

" But, finals are coming up." I complained. I never thought I would want to go to school.

" And you'll do fine, like always." He responded.

" Is this because of my team?" I asked quickly.

" Firstly, your team, believe it or not, actually helped get some valuable information." He said, which made me feel a bit better." But, you did it without my permission, and you weren't at your top game. Secondly, no it's not because of that. It's because your injured, and you're getting sick. After everything that's happened, you could use a little break." He finished.

" Wait, if it's Tuesday, shouldn't you be at work?" I asked.

" I'm taking some time off, after everything that's happened, I could use a break too." He said calmly.

" Oh, I'm sorry." I said.

" Why are you sorry?"

" It's all my fault, I let this happen." I didn't know why I decided to talk now, but I needed to vent.

" What did you let happen?" He asked.

" When I was first infected, I wanted it to be okay, so I let you think it was. And even before that, I wasn't on my top game. I was trying to prove I could handle myself, I was stupid, and I made things worse." I started.

" A lot happened, you handled it well. And I knew something was wrong, I was trying to figure it out. None of us were on our top game." He said, I knew that he was upset that I didn't talk to him, though.

" I know you don't believe all of that. I acted like a child, and now, I've made things worse." I said.

" You didn't make things worse. Joker did. Okay?" Bruce was looking at me.

" I know, but where does the gas end, and where do I start?" I asked. Only this time, I wanted an answer.

" Dick, I don't know. But the gas is out of your system, we just have to wait for the side effects to wear off. Which is why your immune system is down." Bruce started, and then paused to think something over." I think you are getting more control over it, though. The worst is over, and now you just have to recover physically. You did good work the last time we faced him, so I think your body will catch up soon, and then you can start coming on patrol again."

" What about my team?" I asked quickly.

" What do mean?" He asked.

" My team, we did good work, I liked working with them." I said.

" You don't want to work with us anymore?" He asked a little hurt.

" No, I want to work with you and Barbara, but I also want this team to work. I'm not a kid anymore." I said.

" I know, but I thought you only did that because you wanted to help." Bruce said a little confused.

" Even before this whole thing happened, I wanted to do something like this. I want to make it work." I said confidently.

" We can talk about this when you feel better." He said standing up." Oh, and Rachael called your phone, we didn't answer, but she left a message."

" Thanks," I said as Bruce left and I reached for my phone and listened to the message.

" Hey, Dick, you weren't at school, and I know you weren't feeling well. Please call me back, we need to talk." She said. She sounded concerned and worried. I decided to call her back. I dialed her number and waited for her to pick up.

" Hello, this is Rachael." Raven had picked up after the second ring.

" Hi, it's me, Dick." I responded.

" It's good to hear your voice, is everything okay?" Raven asked." And don't lie, I'm an empath, so I can tell."

" Just not feeling well. I've been out of it for the past two days." I said, I was hoping she got the hint.

" Oh, right. So how are you, considering things." She asked.

" I'll manage, so is everything okay over there?" I asked her.

" Yeah, I moved into a dorm over the weekend, I got a single." She said.

" That's good, how did you manage to get a dorm this late? And a single?" I asked her, I already suspected her answer.

" They reviewed my special case." She said laughing a little.

" I'm sorry I couldn't help you." I said.

" It's fine, so what's been going on? Is it still the same illness?" She asked referring to the gas.

" Yes and no. I got something for that, it worked out of my system. So now, I'm just getting my strength back. But, I have it under control." I said, I referred to the fact that I knew what I was doing and I wasn't being controlled.

" Glad to hear you have control again. Look, if you need anything, I'm here." She said.

" I could use some company," I said.

" Maybe I can stop by tomorrow, I have a lot of work to do. I have to study for finals, finish getting my dorm together, and I have to go to the mall with Kori." She said.

" You'll have fun," I teased a little.

" Yes, I'll have the time of my life." Raven said sarcastically. I heard talking on her end.

" Is that Kori?" I asked.

" Yeah, she just got here. She says she hopes you get well soon." Raven said.

" Tell her I said thanks," I heard more muffled conversation.

" I have to go," Raven said." Bye,"

" Bye, have fun." I said.

" Okay, focus on feeling better, and I'll see you tomorrow." She said as she hung up.

I yawned a little. I was still pretty tired, and my leg was throbbing, or at least, that's what it felt like. I felt a little sad that I couldn't talk with Raven. I almost felt depressed after everything that's happened, and what happened before all of this. I was probably over reacting, which mad me feel even worse. I wasn't myself, I didn't feel myself before, and I knew this wasn't helping. I decided I should just go back to sleep. I could escape for a while, deal with this later. I yawned again before falling asleep.

* * *

**What's going on with Dick? If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them. I hope you enjoyed it, let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and favorited! If anyone has chapter ideas that they want to see, or a story idea, I would love to hear them. So let me know :)**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for the review!**

**afraidofspiders: Thanks for the favorite, and I love your story so far. Love the name, I'm assuming you're a Ron fan :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Raven POV

I was worried about Dick when I woke up that morning. I had tried to call him, but he didn't answer. I texted him, and got no response. Normally, I would just blow it off, but something was up, and it had more to do with him, than it did with this Joker gas.

I wanted to use our bond, but I was out of range. I felt so helpless, I wanted to help, but couldn't figure out how. I was on my way to see him, it had been a long boring day at school. And all I could think about was what I could be doing to help him.

If I knew who Batman was, maybe I could find him and ask if I could do a brain scan to help figure out what was wrong. I quickly shook off that idea, he would probably think I was working with the Joker.

Before I knew it, I was at Wayne Manor. I stood at the gate for a while before I pushed the button. Soon, I heard someone greet me through the voice box.

" Hello, how can I help you miss?" I heard him ask.

" I'm Rachael, I go to school with Dick. I was wondering if I could see him?" I asked calmly.

" Ah, yes, you're the young lady who has been going out with Dick, yes?" He asked.

" Yes, and you are?" I asked casually. I assumed it wasn't Mr. Wayne, the voice sounded older.

" I am Alfred Pennyworth, I work for the Wayne family as their butler." He said as he opened the gates and I walked in.

" Rachael, so good to finally meet you." Mr. Wayne said as I entered the door.

" Nice to meet you too, Mr. Wayne." I replied as we shook hands.

" Please, call me Bruce." He smiled.

" I'm sorry about Dick. Do the doctors know what's wrong?" I asked. I was curious to find out what Bruce knew.

" Well, he has some sort of bug that's weakening his immune system. We didn't find it right away, so his body is strained. They gave him something to quicken the process, so now, we just have to wait it out." He said calmly. I couldn't tell if that was what he actually knew or not. I decided to just drop it.

" So, can I go see him?" I asked trying not to sound too eager.

" Alfred is checking on him right now. In the meantime, did you want something to drink?" He asked as he led me towards the kitchen.

" Oh, that's okay." I said, even though I was thirsty.

" Sure?" Bruce said as he poured some lemonade into a glass and offered it to me.

" I guess I could go for some lemonade," I said taking the glass.

" So, you and Dick are a couple?" He asked offhandedly as he poured himself a glass.

" Yes," I answered slowly.

" I'm glad, he seems, happy." He said taking a sip of lemonade. We paused for a while until he started talking again." You're a new student, right?"

" Yes, I actually got a Wayne funded scholarship." I said calmly.

" Youre name sounded familiar." Another pause." How is Dick?"

This put me off guard, I wasn't a spy or anything, but this confirmed my suspicions that Dick was hiding something." He seemed a little off, and then he didn't come to school, so I just assumed it was the illness. Why, is something else going on?" I asked.

" We can only guess, last I talked with Dick, we was still a little out of it. Didn't want to talk." He said, and then we heard Mr. Pennyworth coming downstairs. Bruce quickly stood up to go talk to him.

" What took so long, is he okay?" Bruce asked quietly, I could just barely hear it.

" I am not sure, sir. I didn't mean to wake him, but he woke up when I got up there. He kept saying something was after him. I calmed him down enough so that he realized who I was, then he asked for you. I went to leave, then he collapsed on his bed again. He was muttering something, but I couldn't make it out." Mr. Pennyworth whispered back. Now I was worried, it sounded like this 'illness' was effecting his mind now, instead of his body.

" Is everything okay?" I asked as I stood up.

" Fine, Dick just wanted some more painkillers. I'll be right back." Bruce said as he headed upstairs. Great, now I probably wouldn't be able to see him.

" Mr. Pennyworth, I know something's wrong. Please, tell me." I said trying to stay calm.

" His body is under a lot of stress right now, he is very tired and wants to rest." He responded. I didn't know what to do. I didn't even know if they knew what was going on.

" I can come back later, if you want." I said trying to be understanding.

" I should probably go and help master Bruce. If you would like, you can come and see him quickly." He said after he looked at me for a while.

" If that's okay," I said. I was conflicted, on one hand, I really needed to see him, make sure he's okay. On the other hand, I didn't want to be in the way.

" Alright, then come with me." He said as he led me up the stairs and towards Dick's room. When we got to the door, he started talking again." Wait here, it will only take a moment."

" Master Dick, there is a girl who would like to see you, shall I let her in?" I heard Mr. Pennyworth say. I heard what sounded like Dick, mumble something I couldn't make out.

" If she wants to see him, she can come in for a few minutes." Bruce said.

" Come in," Mr. Pennyworth said opening the door.

" We'll give you two a few minutes, will you be staying for dinner?" Bruce asked.

" Thanks, but I can't tonight." I said walking over to Dick. I heard the door close behind me and I waited until they were gone.

They were right, Dick was out of it. I could sense he was afraid od something, but what? I looked around his room. He had his textbooks on his desk, along with his laptop. He had an iPod on his nightstand next to a lamp. He also had a bookshelf and a chair right by his window. I was a little to see so many books at first, and then remembered him saying something about a series he was reading that should check out.

" Hey, Dick." I said quietly, as I sat down next to him. I didn't get a response, I assumed he was asleep.

" If you're asleep, shouldn't you be calm?" I said under my breath. I reached out to grab his hand, but when I did, I felt a surge of fear go through me. He was in trouble, he needed help.

_" Dick, it's me. Where are you?" I asked him as I opened our bond._

_" Raven?" He said weakly._

_" It's me, what happened?" I said running over to him._

_" I don't know, I can't take it anymore." He said._

_" What's going on?" I asked him soothingly._

_" I'm sorry, this is all my fault." He said. And then, a bunch of things happened at once. I saw a grave that had his parents names flash by, I saw him falling as himself and then as Robin. I saw Joker and Dick was beside him, they were laughing. I heard someone screaming, I looked for the source and realized it was me. I was dying and Dick lay there motionless. Our school was on fire, and Dick was shouting at the wind. He was shouting about it being his fault. But what was it?_

_" Dick! Snap out of it! I'm here, this isn't real." I told him, but I knew far too well that to him in his mind it was. He was living his greatest fears. The problem was, the joker gas just brought them up stronger. I knew to get rid of it, it would be much harder to do now. I assumed Dick had these thoughts rise before he was infected, and then the gas sped up the process. It made it escalate at a faster pace. Like how it did with his body, it made him wear down faster, to his braking point._

_" Dick, please! I need you to stop. I know it's hard, concentrate on me. I'm going to get you out of here!" I yelled towards him. A wind had started and it was forcing me away from him._

_" I don't want to hurt you too!" He yelled. He was scared, traumatized. I knew what he was going through. It was like when I was younger at the temple. I would have freak outs from time to time._

_" You won't hurt me, not if you don't want to. You can gain control, trust me." I said as I took his hand._

_" I trust you." He said quietly._

_" Azarath Metrion Zynthos!" I shouted. Soon everything started to clam. I was back in his room, and he started to wake up. I knew it wasn't over, but it was getting there._

" Thanks and for coming." Dick said quietly. I thought I saw a tear fall, but then it stopped, and he smiled.

" I thought you could use the company." I said. We talked for a while. He asked me about my new dorm, and I asked him how he was doing. We talked for a few minutes, until I saw him yawn.

" Tired?" I asked him.

" A little." He answered, and then the door opened.

" We are about to eat dinner. Did you want to," Bruce started, and then he looked over and saw Dick was awake.

" Hey, Bruce." Dick said.

" Feeling better?" Bruce asked as he walked up to us.

" A little," Dick said as he yawned again.

" Why don't you get some rest, did you want something to eat?" He asked Dick.

" Not hungry," he answered quickly.

" How about you?" Bruce asked me.

" Thanks, but I should probably be on my way. Bye, Dick." I said standing up.

" Bye," he said as Bruce and I walked out the door.

" Thanks for coming," Bruce said when we were downstairs.

" No problem, I'm glad I got to talk to him. He's going to be okay, right?" I asked. After what happened, I needed to know his opinion.

" I think so, he just needs time." Bruce said.

" Okay, could you call me if anything happens?" I asked.

" Yeah," he said. I gave him my number and he put it in his phone. He also gave me his number in case I thought of something or needed to reach him.

" Thanks again," I said as I headed out the door.

" Anytime." Bruce said. I walked home thinking about Dick. I hoped he would be okay, it's not easy fighting yourself every time you close your eyes. I wanted to help him, but we would need time to work it out, and he would need to agin more mental strength. He was weak now, but I knew he could do it. He could stay strong, and I would be right there with him.

* * *

**I did it from Ravens point of view, finally. I hope it was good. Let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and favorited! If anyone has chapter ideas that they want to see, or a story idea, I would love to hear them. So let me know :)**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for the review, and for letting me know about the Zinthos thing :)**

**afraidofspiders: I'm glad you liked the chapter, and sorry for the confusion :)**

**Asdfghjkl 3 (Guest): Thanks for the great review! Okay, so as you know, the school has an undercover hero prep that the Teen Titans are in. Raven only knows he funded the scholarship for the school, not the hero prep. She doesn't know who Bruce is, but Bruce knows who Raven is and that she has powers. And I promise, fluff will be coming for our little love birds! I'm going to try to make the chapters longer, so I hope you enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Raven POV

As I walked to school from my dorm, I kept thinking about Dick. It's not everyday that your boyfriends fears come to life in his mind and you have to help him through it. Just being with him in his mind made me exhausted, and I wasn't even the one who had to fight them off. Dick needed a cure, and fast.

The only problem was, I didn't even know if it was curable. There had to be something I could do, maybe I could get the Titans together, tell them it's important. But then again, it's Dicks team, but it would be for him. Wouldn't they question where Dick was? Just thinking it over made me glad that I wasn't leader.

I had to put myself aside, I needed to help Dick. I needed to get the others, I couldn't do it alone. Maybe Dick could help. He could hack into the security cameras, then he could still lead, and then not too many questions would be asked. The only question was, how do I contact them?

We still didn't have hero prep classes, so I couldn't just go up to them. I could try to link them, I haven't tried it with people I can't see first. They wouldn't be able to talk, but I could talk to them. I would try it, and hope to not freak them out. It might just work, as long as they where in the school, at least.

" Hey, Rae! What ya thinking about?" I heard Garfield say as he ran to catch up with me.

" It's Rachael, and nothing that concerns you." I said as I put my hood up.

" Kori said you moved into the dorms, we should do something to celebrate." He said.

" Why?" I asked, even though I wasn't too sure I wanted to hear the answer.

" You're our friend, and you could use some cheering up." He said with a grin.

" Why would I need cheering up?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm.

" Come on, Rachael, we can all tell your upset about Richard." He said, he sounded serious, like he was worried about me or something.

" And why would Richard concern me, he's fine. I talked to him yesterday." I said as I tried to control my emotions.

" Fine, lie to yourself, but your upset whether you admit it or not. We just want to help." Garfield said as we entered the building.

" You don't even know what's going on." I said quietly, we had reached my locker.

" I know he's sick, and you are worried. We're all worried, and we are worried about you too." He said.

" And why would you concern yourself about me?" I asked a little confused.

" You're our friend." He said looking at me as Kori walked over.

" Hello friends, I hope you are well." Kori said and I sighed a little as I put the combination in, and opened the locker.

" What is the matter, friend Rachael?" She asked me.

" She's a little moody, she saw Dick yesterday." Gar said quietly.

" I'm not moody." I said defensively.

" Please, how is friend Richard?" Kori asked, I stayed silent and Kori gave me a questionable look." Is it that bad?"

" He's fine." I muttered, I shut my locker a little harder than I ment to.

" You are right, friend Rachael is the moody." She whispered to Garfield, but I could just hear it." Please you can tell me your concerns."

" I don't want to talk about it." I said.

" Touchy subject, Kori. Why don't we all go get pizza later?" Gar said changing the subject.

" Pizza? I'm in," Victor said joining our little circle.

" I shall attend too," Kori said.

" Great, come one Rachael, you have to come!" Garfield said. I could tell he was trying to cheer me up, he was a good friend, but right now I just found it annoying.

" Come on, it'll be fun." Victor had joined in, and Kori was giving me puppy dog eyes. It reminded me of when Dick and I went out for the first time with their knowledge. I noticed I had started playing with the necklace he won me that night.

" Fine, I'll think about it." I said and walked off to my first class. I didn't want to get pizza later, especially not without Dick. I didn't want to have pizza, and not when they were only going to try and cheer me up. I had more important things to do.

When I got into my first class, I sat down and waited for it to start. It was English, so it was easy for me. We were working on a study guide for the final, I was almost done with it. So, when we started class, it didn't take me too long to finish. Since I wasnt doing anything, I began to think about my plan.

I focused on my teammates, and their personalities the first time we met. I focused on their skills and tried to find them through a link. It was weak, since I dint know exactly who I was looking for, but I hoped it would work anyway. I saw a Robin outside, an decided to use it to help get the message through. I remembered Azar doing this in one of my lessons back at the temple.

Then, I felt their presence. At first, it was shock, and then I began to communicate through the link.

_" I'm sorry for scaring you, I'm Raven. All of you worked as a team with me and Robin on a mission. We found something, and we need to discuss it. Robin would have contacted you, but he is working with the Batman. If you wish to be part of this, please meet where we met last time during second block, and then I can fill you in. Thank you, and hope to see you soon." _I said and then closed the link. I knew it wouldn't come through that easily, but I hoped they would understand.

It felt so unlike me. I was really nervous, and it didn't sound like me. I didn't know if it was because of the reason for it, the fact that I was breaking into someone's mind that I didn't know and trying not to make a bond, or if it was because of the entire situation. Whatever it was, I'm glad it's over. I tried to calm down, so I chanted my mantra under my breath a few times. Luckily, I was able to stay calm enough so that no one noticed.

When the bell rang, I quickly headed to the classroom. I transported in and said my mantra to change into my normal clothes. I waited for a while until I heard them coming. They all entered the room and sat down next to me on the chairs I laid out.

" So, you needed us?" Beast Boy asked. He didn't sound angry, just a little confused.

" Sorry about that, I didn't know how else to reach you. I'm just glad it found you." I said in a monotone.

" Better than hunting down our secret identities." I heard Cyborg mutter.

" Please, explain how you were able to give us a message from your mind to ours?" Starfire asked. They all started staring at me, this wasnt my best idea.

" My powers are confusing. I can't read minds, and I can't set up telepathic links, but I can sometimes get a message to people if the situation is necessary. I used a bird to communicate through. It used my message, and it led you here." I explained.

" But, I heard your voice in my head!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

" Yeah, that's how it works. Like a messenger, it doesn't always work that way, but it did this time. Like I said, it's confusing." I said as I tried to stay calm.

" The bird did not explain much." Starfire said.

" The bird was just a tool I used to get a message across, it wouldn't speak, only help." I said annoyed. I really didn't want to be here.

" Okay, then you didn't explain much." Cyborg said.

" Yeah, all I heard was: this is Raven and I need your help, meet in the same place." Beast Boy said.

" Sometimes the translation doesn't fully get across. We are here to help Robin with the case he brought up last time." I said and waited for them as they all nodded.

" What are we going to do?" Cyborg asked.

" Well, Robin and I found something. Joker has a plan, he is starting something involving Robin, I think. His new gas affects the body to a breaking point, and then the gas just stops. It then moves on to the brain and makes you lose control. It makes you vulnerable, and it makes you do things that you normally wouldn't. We are not sure what the plan for this is, but we need to take action. We need to find a cure." I said. I wasn't good at this, I needed Robin.

" Wait, so Robin is in trouble?" Cyborg asked. Great, I've ruined everything. How will Batman let me help after this?

" No, he is in the plan though." That wasn't a complete lie.

" Then why do we need to find the cure?" Starfire asked.

" Duh, if we find the cure, when or if Robin or someone else gets infected, we can stop it right away." Beast Boy explained.

" Right, kind of." I said.

" So, what do you need us for?" Cyborg asked.

" We need a sample of the gas, and find out where Joker plans to hit. We also need to find a flaw in the plan, so that we can stop it before it happens." I said. This wasn't making much sense. I wasn't good at explaining my plan.

" So, is Robin going to be there?" Beats Boy asked.

" He is going to be around, but he won't be with us. He is going to hack into security cameras and help that way. Since we think he might be one of the targets, we are taking a precaution, just in case." I explained.

" So, where do we go?" Starfire asked. I don't even know where to start.

" Well, Robin is working on that." I said.

" Does Batman know about it this time?" Beast Boy asked.

" I don't know what he knows exactly, only that we are trying to help." I said.

" Do you have any helpful information?" Cyborg asked calmly.

I was trying to think of something, anything that could help. Then I remembered, when I was in Robins mind last night, there was someone off in the distance. He was behind Joker, I almost missed him, but he was there. He had a mask, and an S on his chest. Joker must be working with someone, and he might be controlling the gas.

" I think Joker is working with someone." I said quietly.

" That would make sense. I mean, Joker couldn't be that smart to involve Robin in his plan, and it's also gone on too long to be Joker." Beast boy said as he thought it over.

" That is an interesting idea, but who?" Starfire asked.

" That's what we find out." I said.

* * *

**So, I was suppose to get my laptop yesterday, but I wasn't home. So they tried again today, I was home, but they didn't knock! Seriously, now I have to wait another day, this is witchcraft! Now that my rant is over, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Who is this mystery man? I might do more than one POV in the next chapter or so, who would you want to see? Let me know your thoughts.**** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and favorited! If anyone has chapter ideas that they want to see, or a story idea, I would love to hear them. So let me know :)**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for the review, hope you enjoy the chapter :)**

**RobRaeFan2014: Thanks for the follow, the support means a lot!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans**

* * *

Robin POV

I was lying on my bed reading a book Raven let me borrow, then I heard my phone go off. It was about three in the afternoon, so the sun was still peeking through my curtains. I picked up my phone, and saw that it was Raven calling. I answered it and started to speak, but then she started talking rapidly about something.

" Rae, slow down. What's going on?" I asked trying to understand what she was saying.

" Sorry." She said quietly, and then continued." I found something out, and we need to investigate it. I got the team to meet me later, I didn't know if you cold come, but I need you to look something up." She said slowing down a bit.

" What did you find?" I asked her curiously.

" Joker isn't working alone." When she said this I froze. I knew Joker couldn't be after me to get a good laugh. The only thing was, why would Joker work with someone? He must have offered him something good, but who could it be? I heard Alfred coming up the stairs, so I quickly got off my bed and headed over to my desk. Luckily, I was already dressed, because I was feeling better. I had a feeling I would be heading out later.

" What do you need?" I asked quietly, as I turned on my laptop, I heard Alfred go into a different room. He was probably checking on something, I knew he would come to check on me soon, though.

" Search villains that wear masks and have a 'S' on them. I think he was wearing a black and dark orange suit. I can't remember much." Raven started. I remembered something, a voice that matched the description. I knew I would need to check some old files, I thought it sounded like a new person, though.

" What's wrong?" Raven asked concerned. I guess I had zoned out." Did you remember something?"

" This, villain, he's new. I won't be able to find him, but by the description, I think I remember something." I said slowly as I thought it over.

" Yeah, I saw him when I went into your mind. You must have seen him, maybe before you were gassed the first time or something." She explained, as I heard Alfred leave one room and then knock on my door.

" One minute." I yelled walking towards my door." Thanks, I'll talk to you later." I said hanging up and going to the door as Alfred started to talk.

" Master Dick, glad to see you are feeling better. Master Bruce wanted to see if you would be joining us for dinner." He said looking me over to make sure I was okay.

" Yeah, I feel a lot better. Is dinner ready?" I asked, I was feeling pretty hungry, my appetite was finally coming back.

" Yes, we are waiting for you." He said, as we walked down the stairs.

" Glad to see you're feeling better, Dick." Bruce said as I sat down.

" Yeah, good to be better." I said as Alfred sat some lasagna down in front of me, and we began to eat.

Raven POV

The team, except for Robin, and I where up on a roof. We were just checking out the area. We had been at it for a while. Robin spotted someone who looked like he might be meeting Joker, he couldn't see him, though. We did see Joker a while ago, now we just had to wait for the right timing. We found out they came here, because Dick had called me back saying he hacked into a warehouse security camera and said he spotted Joker. He gave me the coordinates, and said he was close if we needed him. I knew he wasn't at his top game yet, but I also knew he wanted to help and wasn't completely vulnerable.

" So, Raven, what do we have?" Cyborg asked after a while, and I came out of my meditative like state, I had been floating about a foot off the ground.

" Well, we are just waiting and trying to figure out what's going on." I said quietly, I didn't really like this. I knew I needed to, but I liked to keep to myself, I wasn't ready to open up to them. Plus, I wasn't a fan of small talk.

" Bird boy didn't tell you anything?" He asked a little annoyed.

" We need to get information, before we do anything to blow our cover." I explained.

" If that's the plan, I'm getting a closer look." Cyborg said.

" Fine, but please, take Beast Boy with you." I said a little exasperated. He had turned into a bird and was hovering over me trying to figure out what I was doing. Beast Boy would interrupt me to ask what I was doing or when we would get to move out. I had been trying to search for the figure with the 'S' and if I had seen him without a mask before. I had been searching for similar flows of energy, I had only been doing it for about five minutes, though.

" Fine, come on BB, let's go over there." Cyborg said, and soon the two went off closer to some of the warehouses.

Soon, Robin contacted us through the communicators. He said that they were moving, and to follow. We all moved in, except for Robin. I saw him drop trackers from above, though. I saw Cyborg and Beats Boy run into the warehouse the two had been in. Then, I heard laughing. We had been spotted.

" Move! We got what we came for!" I heard Robin yell.

" Oh, but I was so looking forward to playing with you kids." The new person said.

" Yes, you must meet my new friend!" Joker said as he started laughing again. He turned and started to run towards the warehouse.

" Joker!" The man shouted.

" Party pooper, no cake for you." Joker said disappointed.

" I saw Robin, Batman might be close by. We have to finish what we came here for, start the others." The man said and then they started to split off. Then, Robin jumped down on both of them making them fall to the ground.

" They are going to blow up the rest of the warehouses! Finish what Joker started, get rid of any trace they left behind. Any chance of a cure, or a chance of us finding their plans." Robin shouted into his communicator. And as if on cue, they both jumped up and grabbed Robin.

" A little birdy to play with." Joker taunted. I panicked and jumped down.

" Azarath metrion zinthos!" I shouted grabbing Robin with my magic, then setting him down. I saw Joker run off and hold up what looked like a box of live ammo. He then threw it towards several buildings.

" Well, kids, it's been fun, but I should probably be on my way." The mysterious man said as he started to leave, and the other three came down next to me and Robin.

" Who are you?" Robin shouted at him.

" Patience, Robin, you will learn in time." He said running off and pushing a button. Then, it all went off. I couldn't think fast enough, the entire place went up in flames as it continued to explode. I quickly put up a shield, but not fast enough. Luckily, I took most of the blow. But, Robin was close to one of the buildings, I knew he would be okay. I couldn't keep it up, we were too spread out. I dropped it and I fell to the ground, and I started choking on the smoke. I heard the others start to cough too.

" Raven!" Robin shouted, I noticed I was bleeding heavily, and my leg hurt a lot, it felt like it was throbbing.

" I'm fine, are you,"He cut me off.

" Fine," he said, and gave me a quick kiss, luckily, no one saw.

" We are captured in the flames, I can not escape." Starfire said running over to us. She too was bleeding. All of us were, I guess the impact effected all of us.

" Raven, your leg!" Cyborg pointed out. It looked like it had been hit by a pice of the building.

" Don't worry," I said as I put a glowing hand to it. I did this to the rest if them, healing their injuries. Even Cyborg, his machinery seemed to be in tact, so it was simple.

" Didn't know we had a doctor in the house." Beast Boy said as he gave me a grin.

" I have some healing abilities, I don't have enough energy to get us out of here, let alone myself." I said as I started to cough again." We have to get out of here before more of it collapses." I said, and then Robin broke out coughing, he still wasn't at his top game.

" Over there!" Starfire pointed out an exit. I couldn't take it anymore, between the fire and all of the energy I used. Then, I fell over on the ground out of exhaustion.

" Cyborg, get Raven out!" I heard Robin say quickly in a concerned voice as he helped me up. Then, I felt Cyborg grab me as I leaned on him for support, and then he turned towards Robin.

" What about Joker?" He asked, as I let go of Robin.

" Like that matters more than her," He said, then Cyborg nodded. We started to move out, then I heard Robin start to talk again as more of the building collapsed, and we moved to avoid it. We paused for a bit to find a new direction to go through. Then, I heard Robin start giving orders to the other two.

" Starfire, Beast Boy, follow Slade," Robin said slowly, then he collapsed.

" Like that matters more than you," Beast boy said and he and Starfire started to help him out.

* * *

**Got my laptop! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, sorry it got out late, I had some stuff I needed to deal with. Hope there weren't too many typos, and that you enjoyed it. Let me know your thoughts, love the support. **** Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and for the favorites! It would be great if you checked out my two other stories and let me know your thoughts on them too :)**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for the review, glad you got it! Hope you enjoy what I have planned for our mystery man.**

**afraidofspiders: Thanks for both reviews, from the last two chapters, glad you are enjoying the story and what I've done with it :)**

**Teen titans fan 121: Thanks for checking out my story, I'm glad you like it so far. Thanks for the favorite and the follow, the support is great. This person has a great story, so you guys should check it out :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or anything from DC**

* * *

Robin POV

Starfire and Beast Boy sat me down next to Raven. We were lying in a field, it looked like it used to be a park. I couldn't tell how old it was, if it was newly wrecked, or if it had been like this. The swings were rusted and broken, the slide looked like it had collapsed, and there was garbage everywhere. Not just wrappers and bottles, more like metal scraps and old tires, stuff like that. It was also filled with weeds and mud patches, it was falling apart.

" Okay, I need answers." Cyborg started." Who was that guy? Where did he come from? And, why would he be working with the Joker?" He finished quickly, as he looked at each of us. We all looked at each other, and then Raven started to talk.

" From what I understand, he is a new villain, or one that has decided to come out. I think he might be behind a few things, such as, the recent things that have gone missing over the past few weeks, Jokers apprentice, the gas, and, well, Robin." When Raven said the last part, they all turned to look at me.

" What about friend Robin?" Starfire asked in an innocent and worried voice. It was quiet for a while, ad then Raven said something.

" When Robin wants to tell us everything, he can. But, Joker had a plan that involved him, I think they want to involve Robin, because of this mystery man." Raven said.

" Dude, what's going on?" Beast Boy asked me, soon they were all looking at me, even Raven.

" Look, I don't even know what's going on. I think I was some kind of test subject. We found a note, I didn't get to read it, but it said something that made Batman and Batgirl think he's after me, for his new plan. We think it involves the school." I said quietly. Normally, I wouldn't have said anything, but I was still a little weak and out of breath from the explosion, so I wasn't in the mood to just leave or ignore the question.

" So, is this why you need us? To protect you or something?" Cyborg asked in a disappointed voice.

" No, well, not really. I had wanted to start a team before this, and then it all just happened. Batman was keeping this information from me, but I knew I had to do something. I understand if you don't want to stick around anymore, just know, you have all been great, and I think this team could work" I said in a strong voice, or as close as I could get to one. I was till finding it hard to breathe properly.

" Why does the cause for the team matter, it's more than just helping out a friend, we are more than a group of kids. We make a great team, and so what if the reason was to get information for something that he needed help with? We're friends, we're a team." Beast Boy said and then he grinned as we all nodded.

" BB is right, and now that we know the actual reason, we can help. We trust you, Robin, you just need to trust us." Cyborg said after a while.

" Yes, we all need to trust in each other to make this team a success. Even if this team does not stay together after this mission." Starfire said.

" I can't tell what the future holds exactly, but we're here now. So, don't hold back, Robin. We want to help." Raven said putting a hand on my shoulder. We stayed for a bit, and then we split off. Raven offered to help me home. She had gained back most of her energy, but I still found it hard to breath properly, I didn't want to bother her with it. I figured it would wear off soon.

After the others split off, Raven helped me up, and we started walking towards my house. On the way, I spotted Batman. He ran into a building, it looked like there were still some people inside. I soon saw Jester being taken down, and then laughter. I quickly ran into the building with Raven behind me. As I ran in, I hard a beeping noise, I knew it wasn't a bomb, but this place would go up in flames. Other people where in here, I had to help get them out.

" Raven, help get them out. I'm going to tell Batman." I said as I ran up the stairs.

" Right, just, be careful" She said.

" Batman! This place is on fire, we need to get them out!" I yelled when I saw him.

" Robin, what are you doing here?" He asked quickly looking for my voice.

" It doesn't matter, I was working on something. Look, people are still in the building, Raven is trying to help, but that doesn't mean we can't help. We need to move now." I said quickly. I was tired of being surrounded by smoke, the fire was happening so often, I was starting to expect it.

" Fine, but we will talk later." He said sternly, and then headed upstairs to get the trapped people out. I started to run after him, but then I saw the mystery man. He was in a room, it looked like he wanted me to see him too. I knew I should get someone, but I couldn't resist.

" Hello, Robin, I was hoping I would get to meet you one on one." He said casually.

" Who are you, and what do you want?" I asked quickly as I took out a birderang, I hid it behind my cape so he couldn't see it, I also got into my fighting stance, as I awaited an attack.

" Did you really think it would be that easy, Robin?" Slade said as he got into a fighting stance and walked a little closer. Then, he jumped and shut the door and pushed me to the floor. I quickly got up, I didn't want to start a fight, since I was still a little out of it. Besides, right now, I needed answers, not bruises.

" I didn't want it to be easy." I said with a smile.

" Well, Robin, I suppose I should introduce myself properly. Call me Slade." He said as he lunged at me. I quickly dodged and pushed him to the ground. I put a tracker on him as I did this.

" Ticktock, Robin. I hope your friends make it out in time, I would so love to meet them." And with that, he jumped out a window.

I started to break down the door, I heard screaming, so I ran towards the source. The ceiling had collapsed, and a woman was trapped under some rubble. I've learned that is not so much the cause that makes things worse, rather, the aftermath or how you deal with it. In this case, the cause was meant to scare, to make things worse. The aftermath is always worse.

" I'm going to get you out, can you move?" I asked her. She nodded, she had stopped screaming. She looked young, probably an intern.

" I can move my legs, but I can't push it off." She said calming down a little. This meant that nothing was broken, hopefully. I nodded and started to pulled it off.

" Thank you," she said as I picked her up out of the rubble. I got her out, then, I started thinking about where Slade might have put the bomb. I knew he didn't trigger it yet, but he was close enough to do so.

I ran back inside, because I heard Raven. She sounded like she was struggling with something. I found Raven, and ran towards her. She had finished getting everyone out, she was trying to contain some flames.

" Good work, where's Batman?" I asked her, she quickly started to try to control herself so that I wouldn't worry.

" No idea, is everyone out?" She asked me in her monotone, I could tell she was still concerned.

" Not many people where here, luckily, but they are all out. Look, there's a bomb, and we need to find it." I said.

" Our little mystery man sure does love his toys." She said sarcastically.

" How did you know he was here?" I asked her.

" I put it together, and I saw him running up. Then, I saw you had him, and the ceiling started coming down, so I couldn't get to you. Did you find something?" She asked putting her force field down, and we started to head up the stairs to find Batman.

" I know he's planning something. He wants to keep us in the dark, keep us guessing. I found out his name is Slade. I recorded his voice, so I'll look into it and try to find a match." I said. Soon we ran into Batman. He was picking up a sample of something on the floor, then I saw something light up and start to beep.

" Batman!" I yelled, he turned just in time to see the bomb. He grabbed me and Raven and jumped out the window. I was glad he reacted quickly, I could tell Raven was still weak from healing all of us, and I don't think she could have put out the bomb, or contained it. I was still off my game, and Batman seamed concerned. He could tell that the two of us were pushing it helping him tonight.

As we jumped out the window, I heard people below us scream. I think we were four or five stories up. I heard the explosion behind us, and I could feel the heat radiate from the building. It felt like flames licked my face as we tumbled. Then, Batman shot a wire, and I felt us jerk up. As we did this, I felt something hit me in the back of my head, and it started to go black.

* * *

**A cliffhanger, how exciting. Sorry I didn't update much this week, I've been busy and had to deal with some things. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, t****hanks for reading. Check out the Pregnancy Test by Teen titans fan 121, and don't forget to leave a review for both stories:)**


	25. Chapter 25

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and for the favorites! It would be great if you checked out my two other stories and let me know your thoughts on them too :)**

**So, I have a bunch of people who started following and leaving favorites on Looking For a Raven, so if you are from this story, thanks so much! Leave your name in the review and I'll mention you :)**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for the review, hope you like this chapter!**

**afraidofspiders: Glad you liked it, besides the cliffhanger. I guess I just couldn't resist :)**

**Guest: Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you like my story so far. **

**moonlightkissed: Thanks for the favorite, it means a lot!**

**ahsokalo: Thanks for the favorite and for the follow, love the support :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or anything from DC**

* * *

Raven POV

I saw him, Slade, walking away calmly just as the blast went off. I thought about how calm Slade was, like he expected it. He knew Robin would come to help Batman, he knew. Slade had been watching Robin, studying him, like a test subject. Like you would when you bring in a new partner, or an apprentice! It all made sense now, they wanted Robin, and this was why. First, they got into his head, leading him down empty trails that didn't make sense. They were tests, they wanted to see what he could take, what he could do, and they didn't care if they lost him in the process, they would just pick another 'test subject'. That's why he targeted, is still targeting the school. He knows about the hero prep, and Jester helped. Joker even got something out of it. All Joker had to do was work with the kid for a while to distract Batman, and keep Robin from realizing what was happening, he got a laugh out of it, so he didn't care. Slade just didn't account for Robin bringing in help.

Even knowing all of this didn't change much. Sure, I knew what he wanted, but we might have made it worse, just like Batman said. The thing is, I don't think he knew, or at least all of it. He knew Joker wasn't alone, and that it was bigger than it seamed, but not even Batman saw Slade coming into the picture. Slade. He wanted something, to use Robin, or maybe, something else, something bigger. To find out what he wants with Robin, and why, I need to find out more about Slade.

It all happened so fast, the fire, then the explosion. Even my thoughts sped up. I felt Batman grab me and Robin, then he jumped out the window. At first, I panicked, I wasn't used to people saving me. I could feel the heat, it was so strong, and the smoke was so thick. It was getting hard to breath, you could feel the air leaving and being replaced with smoke in your lungs. Soon, we were all coughing, and I felt Robin jerk to the side as he let out a gasp of shock. He didn't even have time to scream. I could feel he was in pain through our bond, he was unconscious, it looked like something hit him in the back of his head, and he was bleeding. A lot. I was still weak, and I couldn't do anything without risking further injury to all of us, we were falling to our death, and there was nothing I could do. We had turned around in the explosion, so that we were all facing upside down, and we couldn't move fast enough to change position. We were falling too fast, all we could do was wait for impact. Through this entire time, which was only a few seconds, it felt like I was thinking and seeing in slow-motion. My brain was making everything slow, and even still, it all happened so fast.

Then we landed with a thud, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I looked down and saw I had slowed us down without realizing it, although, I think I broke my ankle. This explained why it was so slow in my brain. When I slow things down, my brain functions slower. I guessed it took us about ten or fifteen seconds to fall, slower towards the end. I looked up, and saw Batman looking at me.

" Raven, right?" He asked me in a deep voice, as he put an oxygen mask on Robin." But, you go by Rachael at school." He said, I felt a little shocked by this, but he is Batman.

" Yes," I said slowly, not knowing where this was going.

" You were raised in Azarath," He said, and I nodded." And your father, he's demonic?" I froze, how did he know?

" How?" I asked quietly, I was trying to hold back coughing. I could still feel the smoke in my lungs, but I couldn't deal with it now.

" I make it my business to know. I know you're half human, and your powers have abilities of demonic heritage." He explained.

" And how would you know that?" I asked suspiciously.

" When I trained, I studied things like this. About fifteen years ago, there was strange radar recorded. Your mother, Arella, was in a cult. The cult was to bring your father, Trigon, back. But, then she brought you to Azarath, making this plan fail. Does that sound about right?" He asked already knowing the answer.

" You can't tell anyone." I said quietly.

" I don't tell private secrets, especially when they're not a threat. You seem to have a grasp on your powers." He said. The only thing was, I am a threat. I couldn't always control them, sometimes my father would take over, not for very long, but it still could happen. I don't think he knew about the prophecy, at least I still had that secret.

" Does he know?" I asked as I looked at an unconscious Robin.

" No, I didn't even know until tonight. I had my suspicions, but now it's concluded. You can tell them when you're ready." He said talking about the team.

" So, you approve of the team?" I asked him.

" Yes and no. I think you're doing a good thing, and now you're doing it the right way. But, he should have told me, he kept things from me and put your lives in danger." He explained.

" Well, I guess we'll just have to keep proving ourselves." I said calmly.

" I guess you will." Batman said as he stood up, and then winced and started coughing again. I could tell he was in pain and fighting it hard to breath.

" Here, I can help." I said as I placed my hand over his leg, it was bleeding and looked broken. I started to absorbed the pain, and then when I had absorbed the pain, I was able to heal it. I paused, and then the pain left my body, and he was healed. Then, I put a hand over his chest and then moved towards his neck, removing the smoke.

" Healing abilities?" He asked, and I nodded again." Thanks." He said giving me a small smile.

Then I started on Robin. I could feel his pain through our bond, I knew it would be a little more difficult. I put my hand over his head, first I needed to stop the bleeding. It felt like the explosion all over again. I felt pressure on my head, and then it started to sting and burn. It was so strong, it felt as though my head was splitting open.

" Raven! Your head, it's bleeding!" He yelled in shock. Great, I was getting weak, I couldn't protect my body as well, I knew it would be fine, though. I finished on Robin, the bleeding had stopped. Next, I had to close it. As I did this, it felt like my skin was pulling on itself. I knew he wasn't in pain from me healing him, I took the pain on myself. I knew the pain would pass, so I didn't mind. When I finished, I heard Robin moan, he would be okay. Now, I just had to heal myself, I just felt so tired. Then, I felt myself falling backwards.

" I got you, it's okay." I heard Batman say as he grabbed me and held me up.

" No problem, he'll probably be a little confused, but he'll be fine in a few minutes." I said as my eyes started to close.

" Just stay awake a little longer, you'll be okay too." I heard him say, I felt him put an oxygen mask over my face right before I fell unconscious.

Robin POV

As I sat up, I saw Raven falling over. I tried to remember what had happened, but my brain was a little clouded.

" What happened?" I asked more to myself as I sat up. I looked up and saw Raven was down and Batman was checking her vitals." Raven?"

" She'll be okay, she's loosing a lot of blood, we should get her out of here." He said picking her up, and then helping me stand up." Are you okay?"

" I feel great, actually. Just a little confused." I said, then Raven floated slightly above Batman. She was hovering, then I saw a small glow that stopped soon after I saw it." What's wrong?"

" She must be healing herself." He said calmly." We should probably take her home."

" Yeah, she's staying in the dorms." I said walking to the bat-mobile.

I decided to sit in the back with Raven. It didn't look like she was healing very much, like her brain was slowing. She wasn't hovering as much, and the glow would come back very dim, and then leave again. I was worried about her, and I might have made things worse. If I didn't run inside, the building, she would be fine. We would all be fine. I love her, and I can't lose her, I need her.

I knew I was probably overreacting a bit, but she was hurt, and we couldn't do anything to help her. She couldn't even remove the smoke from her lungs. I looked at her again, it looked like most of the bleeding had stopped. Next, I checked on her breathing. Once I saw that we got the smoke out with the oxygen mask, I checked to make sure she could breathe on her own. I was relieved when she could. Her heart beat was still slow, almost like she was sleeping, but still slower than that. I would get really fast, like she was running, and then slow down again. I didn't know if this was normal or not, but I needed to make sure she would be okay.

" I'm going to stay with her, until she wakes up or falls asleep. Comes out of this trance at least." I said when we got close to the dorms.

" Good plan, I want an update in an hour." He said. I picked up Raven and got up to her window. I was glad she left it open. I walked over to her bed and put her down. Soon, she started to hover above it a little. I looked back at the window, he was gone, then I looked at Raven again. She looked calm, and beautiful lying on her bed. Her purple hair swayed a little as she floated above her bed. The bed was queen sized, it had a bunch of pillows. The sheets were a dark purple, and the pillows were navy and black. I took off her cloak, and made sure her door was locked. I didn't want to have to explain this, and I didn't want to put her ring on. I wanted her to be comfortable, be herself. I stared at her for a while, and then pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. I felt at peace. Batman trusted me again, and Raven looked like she was going to be okay.

* * *

**They are so cute together! I think this was a cute chapter, towards the end, anyway. So glad to be back on a normal schedule, I'm going to put some fluff in the next chapter, so that should be fun. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, t****hanks for reading. If you haven't already, check out the Pregnancy Test by Teen titans fan 121, and don't forget to leave a review for both stories:)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and for the favorites! It would be great if you checked out my two other stories and let me know your thoughts on them too :)**

**Okay, so I just joined this forum, it's really cool. The person who made it is Dancer104, it's called Teen Titans Academy, she's making it like a school for your OCs and the teachers are the Teen Titans. So if you have any OCs or you think it sounds cool, please go check it out. I think you can also be one of the teachers. I already put an OC up, it's going to be really fun, so go check it out! If you have any questions or problems finding it, PM me or leave a review.**

**ThisIsWhereTheNameGoes: Thanks for your review, glad you're enjoying it**

**afraidofspiders: Glad you enjoyed the cute moment between our love birds**

**Alec33: Thanks for the follows and the favorites, it means a lot **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or anything from DC**

* * *

Raven POV

I woke up feeling really good, I didn't feel sore, still a little tired, though. I was lying down on my bed and looked around, I was surprised to find I was in my dorm. I assumed I had just come out of my trance. I rolled over and looked at my clock, it said it was a little past one in the morning. I felt something on my bed, it was leaning on it. I moved a little to get a closer look, and it moved a little.

" Raven? Are you awake?" It was Dick.

" Yeah, I'm awake. Were you sleeping?" I asked him as I sat up.

" No, not tried, besides, you're really pretty when you sleep. You look so at peace." He said slowly. It was sweet the way he said it, I could tell he was worried about me, and that was really why he stayed awake." You should probably lay down, you did a lot of healing." He said as I tried to stand up.

" I'm just going to make some tea." I said in protest. I tried to stand up, but he tried to push me back down as I tried to resist.

" Please, Raven? I'll go make some tea, you stay here." Dick said in a sweet and groggy voice. He hadn't slept, and he was still worn out from the battle and being healed can make you tired, especially when it's as bad as his injury was.

" Fine, but can I go sit in the chair over there so we can talk?" I asked.

" Alright, but just for a bit." He said with a smile, and then he scooped me up and carried me to my chair.

" Thanks." I whispered, and then gave him a quick kiss on his check. I could feel how his emotion change from loving concern, to just love and passion. He then sat me down, and he started kissing me, and I returned each one. I actually enjoyed it. I was able to keep my emotions under control just by focusing on him. It was soft, and sweet. Not at all aggressive, and we were comfortable, we didn't have to do anything we didn't want to, just kiss.

" I'll go get your tea." He said after a few minutes,

" Okay," I said quietly. It all felt so normal, it felt right. After a while, I heard the kettle boil, and he was back with my tea.

" So, how was your trance?" He asked me, I could tell he was curious.

" Well, I go into my mind, like I did when we made our bond, and I help from in there. I restore energy, get my emotions in tact. Then, I'm in my healing state." I explained.

" Cool," He said sitting down across from me." I'm going to call Batman, and tell him you're okay." He said as he pulled out his communicator. I didn't pay attention to what he was saying, I was lost in thought. I kept thinking about Slade, I knew he had to be from somewhere, maybe working with someone, being trained himself. I knew if I found who he was, we could figure out what he was planning for Dick easier. It felt odd, the whole thing, it was scary, although I would never admit it. I almost felt like when I saw him tonight, he knew I was a threat, and that I would help take him down. Like he knew I knew something, like I said, scary. Why couldn't we just be normal?

" Rae? Did you hear me?" Dick said after a while.

" Huh?" I asked coming out of my thoughts and back into reality.

" Are you sure you're okay? You seem a little out of it." He said looking me over.

" I'm fine, just thinking." I said.

" Must have been something interesting, you were just staring into space for, like, five minutes. I couldn't get your attention at all, it was weird." He said as he thought it over.

" Sorry," I said, then took a sip of tea. It was actually really good.

" Don't be." He said smiling at me as I continued to sip the tea.

" This is really good, what did you do?" I asked setting down my mug.

" I guess after you watch Alfred make tea over and over again, it starts to rub off on you." He said giving me another small smile, he was so cute when he smiled. He didn't do it often, but on nights like this when it was just the two of us, he did, like he was trying to cheer me up. I started thinking about Slade again.

" What are you thinking about?" He asked me.

" Nothing, really. Just today." I said the last part quietly as I looked out the window. I wasn't just worried about me and Dick, but everyone. We could all be in danger now, and I didn't know what he was planning. It made me anxious, I didn't have relationships like this on Azarath, I actually trusted me, they're my friends, and I couldn't lose them. I jumped a little when I thought I saw something in the window. I quickly controlled myself, but Dick still saw, and the lamp flickered a little.

" What's wrong?" He asked quickly and came over to me.

" Nothing, I'm fine." I said calming myself down.

" You don't have to lie to me Raven." He said in a comforting voice and looked at me with his eyes. They looked so big, almost concerned, or sad. He was worried, and I didn't want to keep it from him, not tonight.

" I guess I'm still a little freaked out, I thought I saw something in the window. I'm probably just tired." I said as he walked over to the window.

" I don't see anything, maybe you should get some sleep, I should probably get home before Bruce gets worried." He said pulling on his jacket, he had his normal clothes on. I guess he is prepared, if not paranoid. He brings his utility belt with him everywhere, it's kind of adorable.

" Please, don't go." I whispered. Why did I just say that? My voice cracked a little too. He looked at me for a while, then scooped me up again and put me in my bed. He pulled the covers up, then sat down on the bed next to me.

" I'll stay for a bit, we don't have to talk." He said calmly. He pulled me into his chest. He was leaning against some pillows.

" Did you want some blanket?" I said after a while, I didn't want him to be uncomfortable, and he looked a little cold.

" I'm fine, I just want you to be okay." He said sweetly kissing me on the head. We had switched positions, not even a week ago I was at his bedside being worried about him, and now, here we are.

" I love you," I whispered." I love you so much." I said tightening my grip on his arm a bit, I looked up at him. He had started to play with my hair.

" I love you to, Raven," He said giving me another soft kiss. I was so tired, I was about to fall asleep, we had been like this for about twenty minutes.

" Goodnight, you should probably head home." I said looking at the time, it was quarter to two in the morning, and we had school.

" If you need me here, I can stay." He said sitting up a bit more.

" I'm fine now, you chased away the monsters," I said sweetly giving him a hug, I meant it too, the monsters might be inside me, and they might be Slade. Either way, they're real, and he chased them away.

" Okay, want me to come by tomorrow before school?" He asked quietly getting off the bed, I knew he wanted to check on me in the morning without everyone around. I wanted him to check on me too, so I nodded. Then, he brought me into a tight hug." Goodnight, Rae, I love you."

" Goodnight, Dick, I love you too." I said back, and with that, we broke the hug and he was out the window, he even managed to close it for me, to keep the monsters away.

* * *

**I know it's short, and not a whole lot happened. But I promise it's leading to something, and they needed a little fluff. I hope you liked this chapter, t****hanks for reading. Don't forget to check out the forum, and if you haven't already, check out the Pregnancy Test by Teen titans fan 121, and don't forget to leave a review for both stories:)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and for the favorites! **

**The reviews I got for this chapter were great! They made me feel more confident in writing this story, and they made me happy to see that you guys are enjoying it, keep it up :)**

**Guest: Thank you so much for saying that! I'm so glad that me writing this story can make you happy, when I read that I just started smiling, you guys are the best :)**

**ThisIsWheretheNameGoes: Glad you liked it, but also with Ravens emotions, they aren't really showed outside her mind as much as she feels them in her mind, it can still be a problem, and it will be more acknowledged and the effect it has soon. Thanks again :)**

**afraidofspiders: Glad you enjoyed the fluff! Good guesses, I think you'll like what I have in mind...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or anything from DC**

* * *

Raven POV

I couldn't sleep very well, so a little before five, I decided to just get up. Every time I fell asleep, I would be surrounded by nightmares. I kept seeing Slade, Joker and Jester, my father, my friends dying. I didn't know how much of this I could take. I was worried about Dick, and he didn't want to talk. I can't really blame him, I didn't want to talk either. To make things worse, he's worried about me! We've come so far in our relationship, which also made me nervous. I didn't want to hurt him with my powers, and I didn't want him to find out about my past. That couldn't happen, it just couldn't. I would be treated like a fraud, a villain. The worst part was, it might be true.

I stood up and turned on a lamp, it didn't go on, I assumed it was just from the nightmare I had. So, I walked across the room to turn on the light. No luck. I used my powers to see what happened, and I saw that there was glass all over the floor. I guess I couldn't contain my powers last night. I knew a few things broke when we were kissing, and then when I saw something in the window. I knew something was up, I knew I couldn't have lost that much control.

I started to clean up, when I finished, I noticed the window was open, I thought Dick had closed it last night. It wasn't broken when I went to inspect it. Now that I thought about it, not all of the mess looked like it was from a power surge, most of it did, but not all of it. I started to panic, but quickly stopped and gained control. I had to find out what happened. I went into the closet and got some light bulbs and replaced them using my powers. Once they were in place, I turned on the overhead light and looked around.

I walked closer to the window again, and saw a few leaves from the tree, and some dirt. The leaves could have been from the window being open, and the dirt could be from last night, but I knew better than to think that was the case, I knew Dick closed the window. Maybe what I saw last night was actually something. I decided to get dressed and then call Dick and ask him about it, I knew he would be coming over soon anyway, and I needed calm down and regain control.

I went into the bathroom to get ready, and take a shower. When I got out, I put on some skinny jeans, black ankle socks, a dark purple T-shirt, and some black converse. It was getting warmer out, so I didn't grab my hoodie, but it had started to rain, so I just grabbed a black leather jacket and sat it down on my chair. Next, I went to boil some water for my herbal tea.

" Hello, Raven." A voice said behind me. It was deep, and I could sense its presence right before he said something." Don't look so surprised to see me, you knew I would come by for a visit."

" What do you want?" I said calmly as I turned around to face him, my guess was confirmed as I did this. It was Slade. I knew I should have called Dick sooner. Sure, I could take him, but I didn't want a pointless battle, and risk blowing my cover or destroying the dorms, so I would wait it out and only do what was necessary.

" I think you know what I came for." He said stepping away and towards the door. I paused to see what he was going to do. I had a few guess, like that he wanted information, talk about what I saw, prove he's a threat. Stuff like that." You see, Raven, I think you know a little too much." He said as he put something on the door.

" What's that for?" I asked him in my monotone.

" Just making sure we aren't disturbed, and I do so want to finish this conversation." He said slyly as he walked over to the window and putting another device on it.

" Okay, what do you want?" I said calmly. I just had to keep him talking, I couldn't start something, I had to stay I control. Talking was the best option right now.

" Usually, people aren't this eager to talk with me. But, since you look like you're in a hurry, I suppose we'll skip the small talk." Slade said walking back over to me. I stayed quiet and let him continue, I didn't want to push my luck.

" You see, Raven, I have a little problem, and I think you can help me with it." He said guiding me over to a chair and sitting me down.

" As much as I love helping people out, I do have this thing were I don't tend to help villains with their plans." I said with a hint of sarcasm. I didn't like where this was going, and if this went farther, I could lose what little control I still had after last night and this mornings odd appearance of Slade.

" Tsk, tsk, Raven. Where is your hospitality?" Slade asked, and he slapped me across the face." Now, I suggest you apologize before someone's feeling are hurt, or someone else gets hurt." He said punching me in the stomach.

" Is this the part where I'm suppose to be intimidated?" I asked sarcastically as I stood up. I really didn't want to have to fight him, but I didn't want to give him what he wanted. Sarcasm helped me stay in control, and it helped to keep him talking, for now, anyway.

" Now, now, Raven. I think you have to learn some manors. And just a little warning, every attack you try to hit me with, will bounce back to you." He said gesturing towards his suit. I couldn't tell if he was bluffing or not, but I did know he didn't know the full extent of my powers.

" Thanks for the tip." I said, and he picked me up shoving me against a wall. When he did this, I just smirked. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of me being in pain. I knew I should save my energy, so I could take him down with one attack when it was needed. It already took energy to keep my emotions under control, and resist the urge to throw him out the window. Besides, it was almost fun to toy with him.

" Glad to see you're enjoying yourself." He said smirking a little." Now, back to business." Slade said pushing me into the wall harder.

" What would you like me to do?" I asked him as he dropped me on the floor.

" You're pushing your luck little girl." He said as he took out a dagger. Great.

" I don't believe in luck or chance, I believe in power and what it can do when it's to your advantage." I said, and my eyes glowed white.

" Neither do I, but you must learn patience, Raven." I couldn't take it anymore, I wasn't gong to be pushed around, and I was tired of talking. I stood up and shot some energy at him.

" Azarath! Metrion! Zinthos!" I said in a powerful voice. As soon as I saw the blast go off, I regretted it. It wasn't my strongest attack, and it barely broke the suit. As a result, we were both pushed backwards, me taking most of the blow, at least I knew what to expect now.

" I warned you, Raven." He said standing up ad holding his side. After a moment, he bent down and picked up his dagger and moved closer to me. I was still in a ball on the floor, not so much out of pain, but out of shock. The pain and my emotions were too much to handle. I could tell my emotions were out of control and had started to break things. I had to step back for a moment and control myself." Now about my message," Slade said as he threw the dagger at me. I quickly dodged it and got into a fighting stance. If I couldn't hit him with my powers, I would just have to do it this way.

" I'm waiting." I said showing my impatience. I started to wonder what this whole thing was about, and my mind went straight to Dick. If it was about him, or for him, either way, it wasn't good. Then, the lights went out. I was still recovering from healing everyone, and what happened in my mind last night, I guess I wasn't able to control everything as well yet. I didn't get to meditate this morning, which made things even harder. I wanted to attack Slade again, but I knew I should wait for the right time. I decided to use the lower amount of light to my advantage, so I went to hide.

" Hiding won't get you out of this, Raven. Also, my suit reflects energy, so any force you throw at it, will just attack back." He said. I thought about it for a moment and realized what it meant. If I attempted to hit him, it would bounce back and hit me harder than it would hit him. As long as it came from me, that is. My powers would have no effect, and attacking him head on wouldn't be of much use. I knew I could wear down the suit, I just couldn't touch him.

" I'm just buying some time." I said smirking as I thought about my plan.

" All the time in the world can't stop the inevitable, Raven." He said and threw another dagger. It got my side as I jumped out-of-the-way, it wasn't a deep cut, but still a cut.

" And, in this case, what is the inevitable?" I asked, I was really getting bored with this back and forth chasing.

" I need you to give Robin a message for me." He said.

" I'm not a messenger." I said as I prepared an attack.

" I don't care what you are, but you will do this." He said throwing another dagger. This one I dodged just in time. It didn't look like he was trying to kill me, just wear me down. His mistake.

" Please, continue." I said in my monotone, as I ran out of his sight.

" Tell him, he can't hide forever, and I'm coming for him." He said, as he tried to find me.

" Why don't you tell him yourself?" I asked him.

" I tried to, but he was, preoccupied. Besides, this way is more, dramatic." He kept pausing, he wanted more than to just leave a message.

" Why me, then?" I asked. I just had to keep him distracted for a bit, I was almost ready to attack.

" You two are close, attack what he loves, he'll want to come meet me." He explained. I figured it out, he wanted to leave a warning, and I was the warning.

" Robin isn't that stupid." I said, I was trying to buy more time.

" It isn't stupid to protect those who you love, just a sign of weakness." He said.

" Wrong again, Slade!" I shouted and jumped down on top of him. As I did, I felt pressure on top of me, the suit was good, but it would be simple to take down." Azarath! Metrion! Zinthos!" I shouted again, and surrounded him in a shield. I didn't have to touch him, but if he touched it, his suit wouldn't work anymore.

" Please, you make this too easy." He said, and he charged at the force field, just how I planned. We both screamed, but I kept it up, and soon, it was over and his suit was fried.

" You might have taken down my suit, but I'll still get what I came for." And with that, he charged at me with a small metal box-like object, I tried to dodge it, but it was too late. He took me down and I felt waves of electricity going through me. I guess he had a back up plan too." You can't protect him forever, you try to act like you don't care, but I see right through you. You do care, and you'll protect him. Maybe you can be of some use in our little project." He said standing over me. He took out his knife, and cut me in a few places, making me even weaker. I knew I wasn't controlling my emotions, making it more difficult to focus. I wasn't going to be able to heal myself until I gained control, if I was able to, and if I still had time left. He then started kicking me. He kicked me in the chest, making it hard to breathe. Then he kicked me over, so that I was facing him again.

" Why hasn't anyone heard us?" I asked as I started coughing, the light was fading in and out. My emotions were out of control, I couldn't concentrate. I wanted to attack again, but if I did, I might just make things worse.

" The devices I put around your room keeps everything in here. That includes sound." He said and punched me in the chest again. I was all alone, and by the time someone showed up, it would be too late, and he would be gone.

" Tell Robin the plan will be in effect soon, and if he doesn't cooperate, well, this is his warning. Tell him to meet me at the pier tonight, and more instructions will be brought later. The next time he refuses, he loses someone close." He said leaning down closer to me. I gave him a good kick in the face. He cracked his neck and kicked me over onto my back. He pushed my head down and continued." He can't hide forever." He whispered, then slammed my head on the floor. He opened the window and jumped out. As he did, I saw a light go off in his pocket, he picked it up and pushed a few buttons.

When he was gone, I tried to move. I could tell some of my ribs were broken, and I had lost blood. I looked around as I tried to pull myself into a sitting position. Things were broken again, my favorite mug had cracked, and was broken in tiny pieces next to the pot, which had also cracked open. I guess I can't keep everything under control. I knew I couldn't leave the room, even if I wanted to, I could barely move. And, I knew the devices around the room would probably send him a signal to push a button and make this place go up in flames.

I tried to stand up, but immediately fell back down. I tried to crawl towards the bathroom, to wash some of the blood off, and see if I could focus a little and try to heal. I started leaning against everything to just catch my breath and support myself on. I could tell some ribs were broken, and all the kicks to the chest might have resulted in a collapsed windpipe. I lost a lot of blood, making it hard to think. I also assumed I had broken my wrist and ankle, if not my leg and arm, but I couldn't think very well about what was and wasn't broken or injured.

When I made it to the bathroom, I grabbed a first aid kit. I knew I would need stitches, and I couldn't heal myself right now. I needed to stop the bleeding. I knew I wouldn't die from this, because I have demon blood, or at least, I hoped. I didn't really know my limits. I turned on the water, I made it cold, I felt like I was burning up, and the water might help. I also needed to clean these wounds before I blacked out. I needed help, the monsters were back, and I was going unconscious.

Dick POV

I entered the building and walked up the stairs towards Ravens room. I had picked up some bagels on the way over to surprise her. I wanted to cheer her up a bit, I knew this wasn't easy on her. It wasn't easy on any of us. I was supposed to be prepared for this, but this random guy comes in and starts making threats, and good threats too. I'm a target, and so is everyone around me. Slade is after the school, and he's going to use me. And now Raven might be in danger, he probably saw what she could do, how she protected me. Now, she's a threat to Slade, and probably the whole team is probably seen as a threat to him. We could all use a little cheering up.

" Rae, it's me. I brought bagels." I said knocking on her door. I didn't get an answer, so I checked my phone. It said it was six thirty-four, she's usually up by now. Even if she did go to bed late. I knocked a little louder, and checked my phone again. I had texted her saying that I was on my way, but I decided to text her again anyway. I waited, no answer. After what's been going on, I couldn't help but panic a little. I started to pick the lock, and when it clicked, I opened the door.

When I did, I froze. The room was wrecked, and it was more than her just losing control. I walked in and closed the door. Then, I heard something beeping behind me. It was a device with an 'S' on it. Slade.

It was about to go off, so I quickly started to disarm it. I got it down just in time as it started to spark, then, I heard it say something.

" Don't forget the message, little girl." I heard Slade say, and then it started to smoke. And then, it just stopped.

I looked around the room again and started calling Ravens name. I looked by the window, there was blood on the ground, and it was leading to what looked like the bathroom. I got nervous and decided to follow it. I heard the water running, so I knocked on the door.

" Raven? Are you okay?" I asked her. I didn't get an answer, so I opened the door.

" Raven!" I shouted. What I saw shocked me. Raven was on the floor of her shower as the water ran down. She had her clothes on, they were all wet and still had some blood on them. I also saw a first aid kit on the floor. She looked so broken and bruised. It also looked like she was having trouble breathing. I quickly ran over to her and turned off the freezing water. She was cold, and as I assumed, was barely breathing. I held her in my arms for a while just thinking about what went wrong and how long she had been like this.

" Raven, what happened?"

* * *

**Not too much of a cliffhanger, hope you enjoyed it. I hope I got Ravens attitude towards the situation okay, and that it was realistic and not too out of character for her and Slade. I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for reading. Please leave a review telling me what you thought :)**


	28. Chapter 28

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and for the favorites! **

**Sorry I wasn't able to update, I had a bad migraine. I'm back now, and hope you enjoy the chapter, I think this story is going to be over soon. So, if there's anything you still want to see, or have any other story ideas, please let me know.**

**Sakura23165: Thanks for the favorite!**

**death'ssontripo: Thanks for the follow :)**

**LikeEagles: Thanks for the Follow!**

**whorticia: Thanks for the follow and the favorite, love the support :)**

**13LittleRed13: Thanks for all the great reviews! Also the follows and favorites, so glad you're enjoying the story!**

**ThisIsWheretheNameGoes: Yes, our little birds are tough, hope you enjoy :)**

**Teen titans fan 121: Great idea, I'm going to use it, I hope you like what I did with it!**

**afraidofspiders: Glad you enjoyed the fluff! Good guesses, I think you'll like what I have in mind...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or anything from DC**

* * *

Dick POV

I held her at arm's length, just staring at her, trying to figure out what had happened. Soon, my instincts started kicking in, and I started to inspect the damage. I washed off the rest of the blood, and wrapped her in a towel, luckily her clothes weren't very wet. Then, I walked over to her bed and put her down. I started to check for her injuries. She had a broken leg, blood loss, what looked like a concussion, a fractured wrist, and some broken ribs. She would live, but I had to stop the bleeding.

I got some ice to put on her bruises, and wrapped her head to stop the bleeding. I next set her leg and wrist. I started to work on her ribs, when she started to float a little off her bed. I was relieved when this happened, and so I grabbed her hand and I waited. I found myself looking at the time. School was getting ready to start, and Raven started waking up.

" Hey Rae," I said quietly. She got up quickly and looked around, she looked panicked.

" Calm down, its okay, you're safe now." I said pushing her back against the pillows.

" Dick!" She said in relief as she wrapped her arms around me, I heard something break in the background, then she stopped." Sorry," Raven mumbled.

" What happened?" I asked her as I looked her over making sure she was alright.

" It was nothing." She said too quickly.

" Raven, come on, talk to me." I said softly. She paused, and then continued.

" It was Slade, he came by to leave a message." She said quickly, although I knew she was hiding something from me.

" What was the message?" I asked her, another pause.

" It was more of a threat, actually." She said." And, I was suppose to be a warning."

" He threatened you?" I asked a little shocked.

" Well, he was after you. He noticed we were close, and followed me here. When I woke up, he was here waiting, and he made his move." She paused as she bit her lip, and then continued." Richard, his plan is going into action. He wants you, he was trying to scare you by hurting me." She finished.

" I'm sorry, I should've checked more, or done something. This is all my fault, I just had to drag you into this. Now the whole team is probably in danger, and it's all my fault!" I said standing up and pacing back and forth, my hands felt sweaty, and my heart beat quickened.

" Hey, listen to me. This is not your fault, it's Slades." Raven said walking up to me and taking my hands in hers.

" I'm sorry, I have to find out what he's after, and who he is." I said, I had a feeling I knew who he was every time I thought about him or faced him, but every time I got close to figuring it out, my mind would go blank." What was the message?"

" Oh, that. He wanted you to meet him at the pier, help him with something. He said you couldn't hide forever. I suggest we have the team go by and hide out as you guys talk. We figure out the plan, and then we," Raven started, she was trying to distract me, but I cut her off.

" No! I'm not dragging you guys into this anymore, this is my problem, and I'll deal with it." I said grabbing my bag and heading for the door, and then Raven caught my arm.

" No, Dick! You need our help, whether you like it or not, we are going to help you. We're all in this now, and we'll help each other. Everyone needs help sometimes." She said calmly.

" And sometimes, people need to not put themselves in danger even further. I can handle this, I don't want you guys getting hurt." I said, I was getting mad.

" You're in too deep to think clearly, we can help. Were a team." She said, that made me freeze.

" Yeah, we are a team. And this member of the team, needs to do this alone. And as leader, I order you guys to let me." I said using it against her.

" You can't do that," Raven started.

" I can, and I will. You guys need to stay back, figure out who this guy is. I can talk to him alone." I said heading out the door.

" Where are you going?" She asked quickly following behind me.

" To get some answers." I said as I ran out the building. I heard Raven behind me, then she teleported in front of me.

" Slow down. One, we have school. And two, you aren't even in disguise. You need to calm down a bit and think things over, you don't even know what he wants." She said, she could tell I was getting anxious and a little nervous.

" Oh, and you do?" I asked angrily, I felt like I was shaking, then she took a step back.

" Actually, I've been piecing it together. When I was in my healing trance, I went over a few things." She started." I remembered something, I saw it as he took out his device to make the place go up in flames, or whatever it was suppose to do. Anyway, the object had an imprint on it, I knew it was from somewhere, I was hoping you would know." She said putting her fingers to her temples and showing it to me through our bond. When I saw it, my guesses were confirmed. We were dealing with Deathstoke, I had my suspicions, but now they were confirmed.

" Deathstoke," I muttered, but Raven still heard it.

" You're not surprised?" She asked.

" I had my guesses." I said turning again." I'm sorry, I put you in so much danger already. I've been selfish, and since I care about you, I have to let you go." I said deciding being with her made her an easy target of Slade to attack.

" You want to break up because some guy is after you and used me to get to you?" She asked blowing it off, and I turned around.

" Don't you see? He knows I like you, and he knows that I would do anything to protect you, as you would for me." I started, I had dealt with Slade before, the memories of him weren't pleasant, and I felt my palms begin to sweat. I wasn't sure if I was really nervous, or if it was a mix of everything that had happened all coming out now.

" We would do that for any of our friends." Raven started.

" I think he knows about the bond, or has his theories. The point is, he's after you to get to me. And I can't do this anymore, not after this." I said trying to not show my emotions as I remembered the torture he had put me through, I couldn't do that to my friends, not to Raven.

" Fine, if you want to break up, we can break up. I want you to be happy, but I'm still not letting you go through this alone. Whether we're dating, friends, or just team mates." Raven said firmly.

" I'm not putting you through this, so just stay out of it, and stay out of my life." I said as I walked off. I didn't know what I was doing anymore, all I knew was if I wanted to protect her and everyone else, I needed to get answers, and fast. I paused, as I felt my heart quicken and I felt light-headed. Then, I realized what was happening. I was beginning to have a panic attack.

" Wait." Raven said sternly as she turned me around." This is Deathstroke, Richard, you can't go alone!"

" That's why I need to go alone." I said firmly, I felt a pain in my chest. I was getting anxious, I needed to hurry.

" If you take one more step, I'm calling your dad." She said, I couldn't tell if she was bluffing or not.

" You wouldn't." I said pausing.

" Try me," Raven said, and I walked off. Besides, by the time she got to talk to him, I would already be at the pier.

" I'm sorry," I heard her whisper." Azarath, metrion, zinthos." And then, I felt myself slowly falling to the ground as the world got darker. I felt her arms around me, and she reached into my pocket and grabbed my phone.

" Raven, stop, I need to." I started.

" Be quiet, it will be over soon." She said." Hello, Mr. Wayne. I have your son here, he had a break down and isn't thinking clearly. Can you come and get him?" a pause as he responded.

" I think you should come get him, it was bad," she said, another pause." Thanks, he's at my dorm, I'll see you in a few minutes." And she hung up and put my phone back, and then she put her hands on my temples.

" Raven, please." I begged, I was having a panic attack and my chest started to hurt, I was feeling clammy, and I was shaking, but soon things started to slow as she brought me closer to her.

" It's alright, rest now. Just relax." And it all went black as I felt the calmness overcome me.

* * *

**The idea for having them have a fight was from Teen titans fan 121, so go check out their stuff. I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for reading. Please leave a review telling me what you thought :)**


	29. Chapter 29

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and for the favorites! **

**smitydogs117: Thanks for the favorite, means a lot :)**

**Oreocat155338: Thanks for the follow, the support is great!**

**ThisIsWheretheNameGoes: Glad I got the personalities and reactions towards the situation right :)**

**afraidofspiders: Good to hear you enjoyed it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or anything from DC**

* * *

Raven POV

I was relieved when I saw Bruce's car pull up. He got out of the car, and quickly ran over to where we were sitting.

" What happened?" He asked taking the limp boy from my arms.

" I'm not entirely sure. I think he had a panic attack." I said not knowing how much Bruce knew about what was going on.

" Do you know what caused it?" He asked me in a calmer voice.

" We had a disagreement. Other than that I can't think of anything. Will he be okay?" I asked already knowing he was okay.

" He should be fine," Bruce said as he stood up with the small boy in his arms." Do you know how he ended up unconscious?" Great, what was I suppose to say?

" He really freaked out about something, I got him to calm down a bit, maybe he just over-exerted himself?" I asked. I knew it was a lame excuse, but I didn't know what else to say.

" Thank you, I'll take him back home." He said and walked to the car and placed Dick down and buckled him in the passenger seat, then he walked back to the other side of the car and turned to me.

" What are you going to do?" He asked me. I looked at him with a puzzled look, and he continued." Are you going to go to class, or would you like to stay with Dick?"

" Oh, thanks, but I think he might be a little mad at me. And, I'm sure you want to be with him." I said not wanting to intrude, and he smiled a bit.

" Trust me, Dick isn't that mad. And I'm going to have to go back to the office soon, so if you stayed with him, it would give me some piece of mind." He said. I thought about it before responding.

" If you're sure it's okay." I said and he nodded, and I climbed into the back and we drove off.

We pulled up to the huge mansion, and I stared at it for a bit, the last time I was here, Dick was in his bed and I was scared for him. Then my attention changed as my door was opened by Alfred.

" Good to see you again, miss Rachel." He said kindly.

" Good to see you too." I said as I got out of the car. I watched Bruce walk around, and pick Dick up again, and carry him into the house as I followed behind. When he put him in his room, he started to stir.

" Bruce?" Dick asked in a tired voice.

" Yeah, it's me. I want you to lay down for a bit, okay?" He asked as Dick nodded. It looked like a usual routine. I guess working with Batman long enough made it somewhat normal, although that didn't erase the look of worry in Bruce's eyes.

" I have to go, but Rachel is here, and so is Alfred." Bruce said, and Dick turned his head to look at me. Yeah, he was upset. Then Bruce turned to me." Make sure he's okay." And I nodded as I watched him leave.

" I'm sorry I yelled at you," I said turning my attention back to Dick.

" It's okay, I yelled too, and I'm sorry." He said sitting up.

" So, are we okay?" I asked him not really wanting to know the answer.

" Let's see. First, you won't even humor the idea of me handling anything by myself. Secondly, you knocked me out!" He said, or yelled.

" I didn't know what else to do!" I said a little exasperated.

" You could, I don't know, trust my judgment." He said as he stared me down.

" Do you even hear yourself right now? You're in too deep, you need to calm down." I said putting a hand on his shoulder, and he quickly brushed it off.

" Why bother, you can just knock me out again." He said.

" Dick," I said calmly.

" I thought we were a team." He said quietly.

" We are a team, Dick." I said.

" Just stay out of it, I can handle myself." He said lying back down.

" Fine, but you're just being stubborn." I replied angrily. This wasn't going how I had planned. I needed to find out what happened before that was making him act like this.

" Maybe I like being stubborn." He said in a harsh tone.

" Dick, what happened last time you and Deathstroke met?" I asked calmly.

" Oh, you want to hear what I have to say now?" He asked sarcastically.

" I always listen," I said and there was silence for a bit.

" Let's just say it's not something I like to remember." He said, I could hear the sadness in his voice, he wanted to be left alone.

" I'm sorry," I said.

" Don't be," Dick said still not looking at me. He had gone from wanting to protect me, to it being personal.

" I should probably get to class, if you're okay." I said standing up.

" Yeah." He said as I left. I paused outside the door for a bit to make sure he was okay, then, I heard what sounded like muffled crying. I knew better than to go back in, he wanted to be alone. I felt bad, I knew he didn't mean to push me out like that, but I still couldn't help but feel angry at him. As I walked downstairs, Alfred was a little surprised to see me.

" Is everything alright?" He asked.

" Dick just wants to be alone, he's a little shook up, he wouldn't talk about it. Besides, I have a math test next period." I said heading towards the door.

" Would you like a ride?" He asked me.

" That's okay, I could use some air." I said, although I planned on teleporting or flying.

" Alright, hope to see you again soon." He said and I nodded as I left for school.

Dick POV

Once I thought Raven was gone, I started crying. I knew I had to go, and I had to go alone. The memories of the torture he put me through last time flashed through my mind, and soon, I was crying into my pillow. I tried to stop, but it only made it worse. Soon, I controlled it, and I sat up and wiped the tears off my face. I quickly got up, and headed for the cave. Robin had to make a visit.

* * *

** I know it's short, but a lot happens in the next chapter, so I wanted to end it here, plus, leaving a cliffhanger is always fun. I hope you liked this chapter, thanks for reading. Please leave a review telling me what you thought :)**


	30. Chapter 30

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and for the favorites! **

**ThisIsWheretheNameGoes: Glad to know I continue to keep your interest! Thanks for another great review :)**

**afraidofspiders: Thank you so much for such a nice review! It really encourages me to write this story. Happy to hear that you really enjoyed the last chapter, so again, thanks for the great review :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or anything from DC**

* * *

Raven POV

As I left the office with my pass to my next class, I started thinking about Dick. He seemed so out of it, so not himself. As I left, I heard him crying. Crying! And I didn't know what was wrong. Even so, I couldn't help but feel guilty. I shouldn't have yelled at him, he needed space, and I kept pushing. I made things worse, I should've listened, explained myself. But instead, I just left him there. And why? Because I'm a coward, I didn't want him to blame me, I didn't want to see him like that. I couldn't.

" Rachel!" Suddenly someone was hugging me, pretty hard too.

" Kori. Can't. Breathe." I got out.

" My apologies, friend Rachel." Kori said as she released me and I gasped for breath.

" It's okay." I said and we started to walk down the hall.

" I was worried when you and friend Richard did not show up to the home room. I know we have not done the hanging out in some time, so I was worried that something had happened." She explained.

" Everything's fine." I said looking around, not really sure for what.

" What are you thinking about?" Kori asked me suddenly.

" Nothing really," I said, although I was worried about Dick.

" Where is Richard, is he what concerns you?" She continued.

" Well, he was a little under the weather today. He came to pick me up so we called talk before school, and he just didn't seem like himself." That wasn't a complete lie." He's at home resting now."

" Oh, maybe we can visit him after school?" She asked trying to make me feel better. I had planned to get the team together to find some things out about Deathstroke, Dick needed help, I needed help.

" I'm busy, maybe some other time?" I asked.

" What will you be doing?" She asked.

" Oh, I have to do some stuff. I'm also visiting an old friend." I said trying to stay calm, I didn't like lying, especially to Kori.

" I'm sure you will have the most glorious time, call me if your plans change. I will probably do the studying for the finals." Kori responded with a smile.

" Yeah," I said as I walked into class only to find Gar hitting on some girl, trying to make her laugh. I tried to drown the class out as I concentrated on the team. It would be easier, since I knew what I was looking for.

Dick POV

I was riding on my R-cycle to the pier to meet Slade. I was a little nervous as I remembered our last encounter. I didn't know what he wanted, which made me even more anxious. I was glad I was able to get out alone, Alfred wouldn't notice my absence until it was too late, and Bruce was in a meeting. Raven was at school, I just hoped she didn't suspect anything. I was going to make this right, figure out what he wanted, and then stop him. If it was looking bad, I would leave, I could get out. After all, I was trained by Batman himself. I could handle this, just getting information, and then getting out of sight. No biggy.

" Robin, I was beginning to think you were too much of a coward to face me. No worries, I just wanted to catch up a bit." He said as I parked my bike and landed next to him. His voice was sly as usual, and I stayed calm.

" Cut to the chase, Slade. I need answers." I said gritting my teeth.

" Oh, Robin. You of all people should know it's never that easy. I take it you figured out who I am?" He posed it as a question, but he already knew the answer.

" It wasn't that hard. That gas you were working with, part of it was to make it harder to figure who you were." I said looking at him.

" Good, so what are you going to do with that information now?" He asked, I could see him smirking behind his mask.

" I don't let it happen again, I know what to expect now. I'm in a hurry, what do you want?" I asked him showing m annoyance.

" I have a little problem. I have this information, maybe you could help me with it. I came to Gotham to finish some old business I had with you and Batman, and then I came across Joker one night. He was up to his own plans to give the city some humor. I took it as opportunity, he could be a great distraction, and I needed some of his gas. I have a plan for you, and I found something very interesting as I was tinkering with some gas." I pause waiting for him to continue.

" You see, Joker was upset that Batman had a little bird around to help him all the time. Joker said something about wanting one too. Anyway, he had picked someone, a prankster, he saw potential in the boy, and I needed a distraction. He worked on the gas, I helped get the boy. Once the gas was in the process, I confronted the boy. He was very eager to help, he had some interesting information on some of the students. He goes by Jester, perhaps you know him?" He asked in a taunting voice. I was trying to process everything. He came here to finish some business, and needed Jokers help. In return he got Joker Jester. Whatever he was planning it involved the school, and with the information given, Slade put more into his plan.

" He told us all about the holo-rings, and about these classes. He said there was one he found interest in, students would disappear into a locked door. He had watched, but nothing could be found, so he took more interest. And when I found him, he offered to help get into the class, figure out what was going on. You see Robin, I knew all about your little hero prep. After our first encounter, I wanted to find out more about you. Batman did a good job hiding you, but the I stumbled along the hero prep. Other sidekicks would disappear into Gotham, but only for that time period. I soon realized I would find you there too." Another pause, he must've been the one threatening the program.

" You don't seem shocked. Anyway, I started to get more information from Jester, and I trained him a little, then handed him over to Joker. Then, Joker said he spotted some young heroes out when he was getting prepared for a show he was putting on for Bats with Jester. Of course, they took the opportunity to have a little fun. Funny thing was, one of them resembled you, they tested it with the gas. I confirmed it when I came to visit the scene. You and your team put up a good fight, it was almost cute in a pathetic kind of way." He started to laugh. I couldn't help but listen to what he was saying, it was all true, and it was in front of me the entire time.

" We continued to threaten the program, just scarring them, being a little more hands on. Then, your team showed up again, but not with the school. I knew you were looking for answers, as you suspected that it was more than Joker. Smart, but not smart enough. Doing this made me realize I was having a little too much fun and needed to get moving. You've passed so many tests already, I knew you knew that I wanted to talk with you. So when you ignored it, I made a little visit to your friend. That was fun, she was strong too, tried to put up a fight, buy some time. But in the end, I was more trained, and the message got across. So, here we are." He stopped talking, he was waiting for me to do something. I had been avoiding him, it was all my fault. I understood what was going on now, he wanted to get rid of the program, he needs help. Someone from the inside, he wanted me.

" Thanks for the recap. But what do you want me to do?" I asked him as I thought about what my next move was going to be.

" Eager I see. You need to learn patience first. I need you to do me a favor." He said walking closer to me. Why wasn't I moving? Maybe because I wanted answers and would do anything to get them, even play into his game.

" And what makes you think I'll help you?" I asked as I smirked.

" I've been watching you Robin, I know your weaknesses. I also know you're scared, not for yourself like you should be, but for your friends. Stupid really, just know if you don't do what I want, I can break them. I've been watching them, and you even closer." He finished with a whisper. This guy had been watching me, I knew he wasn't lying, but I also knew he didn't know I was Dick Grayson, so he only knew half of me.

" Is that suppose to scare me?" I asked laughing a little.

" No, fear is only an annoyance that is used to the others advantage, but it should make you alert, prepared even, like a warning." The way he said warning made me stop for a moment. It was like he was trying to get a message to me in some kind of code. But what was the code?"

" Now, back to business. I need some information, and you can get it for me." He said, he was talking about the school.

" So, you're looking for a spy? You should've kept Jester around." I said.

" Jester was only helping for a bit, besides, he got caught. He wasn't as prepared as you will be." Slade said, was he looking to train me or something?" Your skills are necessary for this task."

" Well anything to help an old friend." I said sarcastically, Raven was rubbing off on me more and more. I was greeted with a slap to the face, it pushed me back, but I quickly go into a fighting stance.

" I suggest you show little respect." He was angry, but he also didn't want to fight, as it would draw attention to us.

" What do you want, Slade?" I asked getting annoyed.

" The school is starting something, trying to get rid of me. Because of this, I haven't been able to test some of my weapons on the test subjects." He said, as soon as he did, I thought about the missing kids and the weird shipments that had gone missing." The school had tried to get them back, and I kept them alive as long as I got my shipments in. I gave some of them back as a warning, and it was becoming too obvious of what was going on. I wasn't ready to put my plan into action yet." He finished. He wanted to get rid of the school, and he had new weapons he was testing, but for what?

" What were you testing?" I asked gritting my teeth again.

" Well, it was more of a practice, really. I needed to see how to break them, test out my skills. Of course, I was saving the best for you." He said slyly.

" So, you want to break me?" I thought out loud.

" It's not that simple. I'm going to break you, and then build you back up. Stronger." He said before continuing." The school, however, still poses its own problems and needs to be eliminated, unless of course, you are willing to help me." Great, either I help him, or risk lives. Then he threw something at me, and I caught it and started to examine it.

" What is this?" I asked him as I continued to stare at it.

" A little project I've been working on. Thought you might be able to improve it." He said and then pushed a button. It shot out a laser and zapped one of the crates. The crate moved, or teleported a few feet away. He moved the dial and it zapped again disintegrating it, all it left was a pile of ash in its place. I dropped the weapon quickly.

" You see, it glitches every now and then. It won't teleport as far, and when you try to get rid of something, it leaves a trail." He pause, then he took out a screen and showed it to me. It showed the school, the hostages, and showed a few bombs. No location." Either you fix it, or say good-bye to your school and everyone inside." He said and waited for me to answer. I thought about the hostages, most were in the hospital, but a few were still missing.

" What about the hostages?" I asked.

" Fix it, and I'll let you know. They're hidden, don't look for them or they go up in flames too. Just a little insurance." He said and pushed a button. Then, I heard the explosion and I ducked down. The warehouse had exploded, Slade knew what he was doing. For all I knew, he had bombs everywhere." Oh, and don't tell anyone, I'll be watching you. Until next time, little bird." And with that, he was gone, leaving the weapon behind. I picked it up, and drove off on my R-cycle. I couldn't risk lives, but if I helped him, I could buy some time.

* * *

**Now Slade is ready to make his next move, what do you think he really has planned for our boy wonder? And what does Raven have in mind? Hope it all made sense, and that you liked this chapter, thanks for reading. Please leave a review telling me what you thought :)**


	31. Chapter 31

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and for the favorites! **

** So, who else watched Son of Batman? I did, and I would love to hear your thoughts on it, as my mainly and friends take very little interest in it. Enjoy the chapter :)**

**ThisIsWheretheNameGoes: Yes, he has found himself in quite a situation. Hopefully, with the help of his friends, he can figure it out and take down Slade. Thanks for the awesome review :)**

**afraidofspiders: Thanks for the two follows, love the support. Tying down Robin would probably help, but knowing our bird, he would escape. Don't worry, Raven has a plan, and it will come into play soon. Enjoy the chapter :)**

**Teen titans fan 121: No problem, loved your idea. I'm glad you liked that I had Dick cry at the end of chapter 29, I was a little leery about putting it in. So, thanks for letting me know you liked it! Thanks for the great review :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or anything from DC**

* * *

Raven POV

When I got the link up, I told them to meet in the same place during lunch, and I would explain later. I could feel them accepting it, which was a relief, they seemed almost eager. Now all I had to do was get through the rest of this class.

When the bell rang, I quickly got up and headed out of the class. I started to head towards the locker rooms, I could easily get to hero prep that way without being noticed. When the coast was clear, I got in the room and waited. I was worried about Dick. I couldn't tell what was wrong, I knew he was upset, but what was he upset about? I was still a little mad at him, which made me feel guilty. I had to control myself, if I wanted to help, I needed to control it. So, I started meditating.

" Hey, what's up?" Said a familiar voice behind me, it was Beast Boy. I looked up, and everyone was there.

" Sorry, I was meditating." I mumbled as I stood up.

" No problem, so what did you need?" Cyborg asked.

" And where is friend Robin?" Starfire asked.

" He's part of the reason I called you here." I said, and they all looked at me expectantly.

" Well, what happened?" Cyborg said with some panic in his voice.

" Is it about what happened the other night? The dud wasn't looking to great." Beast Boy said.

" Not really, this morning, I had a visitor." I said not wanting to go into detail.

" You are unharmed, yes?" Starfire asked me.

" I'm fine, I have healing abilities." I paused as they looked at me again, I could tell they were worried about Robin." He's fine too, I think. Anyway, I have some new information on the subject. Slade is Deathstoke, and he wants Robin for something, we think it involves the school. They have a past, I couldn't tell much else, but Robin wasn't too happy to find out it was Deathstroke. Also, I think he remembered something that the Joker gas was keeping out of his mind."

" So, where is he?" Beast Boy asked.

" He might be home, but knowing Robin, he's probably at the bat cave or something trying to figure it out." I said hoping he was okay and was still at the mansion.

" Might?" Starfire asked.

" Well, if they have a past, and knowing Robin, he's probably planning an attack right now." Beast Boy said before I could respond.

" What are going to do?" Cyborg asked, then I fell over on the ground I pain as I held my head. Something was wrong.

" Raven!" Beast Boy yelled and they all gathered around me.

" I'm fine, something's wrong with Robin." I said. I could feel through our bond he was panicking, and then heat and fear. It was gone as fast as it came, but he needed help.

" How can you tell?" Starfire asked giving me a hand up.

" We have a bond. I don't think he's hurt, but he needs help. He's feeling conflicted about something, and vengeful. I think he's running from something." I didn't want to share everything about what happened without Robins permission. I knew he was running, and he was afraid. He needed help, especially with the reaction he had earlier. It felt like he was running from himself.

" I guess that answers my question, we find Robin." Cyborg said.

" Any idea where he could be?" Beast Boy asked me, I could feel everyone's concern towards me and for Robin. Then I remembered, and fear shot through me and I heard something crack.

" The pier," I said quietly. He went after Slade, and it didn't go how he had planned. I knew he would go after him, I just thought he might be too out of it still to think about it.

" Why would he be at the pier?" Starfire asked as they gave me a questionable look.

" Slade," I said.

Dick POV

The further I got from the pier, the more I started to think about what Slade said. I didn't know what to do, and no one could help me. I was alone, and I was my own enemy. If I helped him, I might save people, but that would make me a criminal. If I didn't, people would die, and it would be all my fault.

I parked my bike and looked around, and looked around. It looked familiar, and empty. I started to look around and realized were I was. I was in the same place my parents were murdered. I was at the circus grounds. I was excited to come to Gotham with the traveling circus, back then I was so happy. We were going to be the final act, we had been practicing that morning when Zucco came. I had stayed back, wanting to watch some of the other acts practice. When I left, I heard people fighting. It was him, he was threatening the circus. I didn't know what to do, when Mr. Haly cam out, he said it was fine. That night, I saw Zucco messing with something. I tried to say something, but was told it was fine, then we were on. I knew I should have said something. Anything.

_" And now ladies and gentlemen, the flying Grayson's! As always, performing without a net." I smiled as I heard him announce it. My parents and I were waving at the crowd as they cheered. My mom and dad looked at me and then started. I heard the crowd applaud again as they flew through the air._

_" And now, for the youngest member of their talented family," He said gesturing towards me as I waved and heard more cheering. I saw my mom reach out fr me, when I heard a snap. I looked up and the rope was falling._

_" No!" I yelled in a quiet voice. I was on my knees in shock, what was happening?_

_" Dick!" My mom yelled as my parents feel to their deaths, and then I was crying. I couldn't reach her. I heard a sickening crack, the crowd was gasping and screaming. I saw my parents blood on the ground and I broke down._

_" Mom! Dad! Please! Somebody help them!" I yelled running towards them._

_" It's their son, someone get him out of here." I heard someone say, and soon I was being dragged off as I screamed. I could have done something. Anything._

" Robin?" It was Ravens voice that pulled me out of the memory.

" I told you to stay out of it." I mumbled standing up, and then I saw the entire team staring at me.

" Please, what happened?" Starfire asked, as she looked at me and then the weapon that was on the ground.

" Slade. Slade happened." I said angrily, and Raven gave me a look asking if I was alright, and I nodded.

" Dude, what's with the weird device?" Beast Boy asked.

" Slade, he um, he dropped it during an explosion. I was going to check it over." I said. That was realistic, but Raven didn't buy it.

" That's great, but what happened to you?" Cyborg asked me. I was pale, paler than usual. I was also sweating and had a small burn across my arm.

" Just the explosion. What are you guys doing here anyway?" I asked angrily.

" Robin, we're a team, we're here to help." Raven said putting a hand on my shoulder, I quickly brushed it off.

" What's going on with you two?" Beast Boy joked slightly.

" Nothing," Raven and I both mumbled in unison.

" Of course not, look, are we gonna find Slade, or not?" Beast Boy asked. Well, as long as I was buying time, I might as well have them check some stuff out.

" I found out Slade is the person threatening the school. He knows about hero prep and wants it terminated. He's also been behind the cargo disappearances, and the missing and injured students." They all looked a little shocked when I said this, but quickly recovered.

" That would make sense. Are we going after the missing children?" Starfire asked as she hovered a little off the ground.

" Yes, we'll split up into groups. Some of us should probably look for the missing students, and then there's the cargo we need to find. And I have to figure out what this thing can really do and figure out how to take it apart." I said, then paused." Then, we go after Slade."

" Sounds like a plan. So, how should we split up?" Cyborg asked.

" If we find where the kids are, we'll probably find the cargo." Raven said, and I nodded.

" Okay, you guys, check out warehouses in this area. There are some underground ones that you should probably check out too. If Slade finds you, don't do anything, wait for back-up." I said showing them a map of where they should look. I knew Slade said not to look for them, so i didn't give too much away, just where they would most likely find cargo. I couldn't help but feel slightly panicked at the thought that Slade was watching me.

" Right," Beast Boy said. And he, Cyborg, and Starfire were off. Raven stayed behind.

" Still mad?" She asked me." I understand if you are."

" Yeah, I'm still mad. I know I overreacted, but that doesn't mean I can't be angry." I said as I headed for my bike.

" I know, and we need to focus. We can deal with 'us' later." She said.

" Yeah. You should probably head with the others." I said quietly, I didn't want to talk right now. I needed to buy us some time. I knew he was planning on attacking the school, but I couldn't tell them. I felt so alone.

" I know you had a bad memory about something back there, I could feel it." She said.

" Is that how you found me, our bond?" I asked and she nodded." This place, it has some memories I'd rather forget."

" I'm sorry." She responded looking at me with her big eyes.

" Why are you sorry?" I asked.

" About everything. Did you want to tell me what happened with Slade? I know you're keeping something from me, and I know it has something to do with that." She said gesturing to the object in my hand." And I'm not leaving,"

" Raven, I, I can't tell you." I whispered. She knew what I meant. I tried to hide the fear, but it still showed.

" Then show me," She whispered back. I did, I showed her what he said, the threat, everything that happened earlier.

" I, I didn't know. About you and Slade. I can help you, we can stop him." Raven said quietly as she hugged me. I pushed her off gently and looked at her.

" Don't you get it, Raven? He's watching me. I have to help him, and no one can help me." I said quietly.

* * *

**Robin feels so alone, poor Robin. Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading. Please leave a review telling me what you thought :)**


	32. Chapter 32

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and for the favorites! **

**ThisIsWheretheNameGoes: Sad, yes, but soon he'll realize he's not alone. Thanks for the great review :)**

**afraidofspiders: Thanks for the review, they mean a lot. Hope you enjoy the chapter :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or anything from DC**

* * *

Normal POV

_" Don't you get it, Raven? He's watching me. I have to help him, and no one can help me."_

At those words, Raven couldn't take it anymore. Her friend needed her, but Slade was keeping Robin from her. Robin was scared, which made Raven feel uneasy. Slade had made his move, something they had been waiting for, but when it happened, they wanted to go back to waiting. Except for Robin, he wanted to get moving.

" Please, I can help." Raven whispered into the young birds ear.

" No, can't risk it." The boy wonder said as he pushed himself up and started his bike.

" Robin, wait." Raven called out to him.

" What?" He said angry.

" What do you want me to do?" Raven asked her leader.

" Help the others I guess," robin replied.

" That's what Robin wants me to do, but what do you want me to do?" He froze at her words. She was right, he didn't want to face this alone, but he didn't want to drag her in deeper either. He was conflicted, he couldn't think straight. All he knew, was that he had to start working on the weapon before more threats were made, and the old threats out into action.

" Dick?" Raven whispered, and he looked at her with fear in his eyes, he needed help, but he felt so alone.

" I, I don't know what I want." He muttered.

" I can help, you just have to let me in. What happened?" She asked him. Robin was getting annoyed by the continuation of her questions. He knew she just wanted to help, but how did he tell her if she helped people would die?

" I have to figure something out, something he wants me to do. Raven, he's, he's using me. And if I don't help him, people die." He finally said quickly hoping that Slade wasn't near by.

" So, you have to fix that thing?" She asked pointing at the object Robin had clutched to his chest. Robin slowly nodded.

" We can figure this out, we need someplace where he can't watch us, were we can plan our next move." She said trying to get Robin to think about something else.

" But," Robin started.

" No buts, we can figure this out. It's what we do." And with that, they headed off towards the warehouse where this all started. When they got there, Robin started securing the area, and put up motion sensors and rewired the security feed. He then started to tinker with the weapon.

" What's it for?" Raven asked after a while. Robin paused thinking about what to say.

" It can teleport things, not very far. And it can also disintegrate them, but it leaves a pile of ash. That's what i have to fix. He's watching me, Raven, what choice do I have?" He asked her. Really what choice do I have? Robin thought to himself.

" Where do you have to meet him when your done?" She asked.

" He said he'd check in on my progress. I think he has bombs around the school or something. If we try to evacuate, they're dead for sure." Robin said putting his attention back into the project.

" And the hostages?" Raven continued.

" If we find them or get close, they're probably goners too. I mostly sent them in the direction of the cargo." He responded quietly.

" Here, let me help." Raven said and then chanted her mantra, and the weapon came apart and all the pieces lay in front of Robin.

" That helps, thanks." He said as he and Raven started to examine each piece.

" It looks like he put a tracker in it, which means he probably isn't watching that close." Raven said handing the piece to Robin as he confirmed it.

" Along with the self destruct mechanism. I guess we should fix the laser, that's the problem." Robin said looking at Raven hopefully.

" If you tell me which wires to fix, I can use my powers to help." Raven said as she picked it up chanting her mantra as she started.

" Okay, start with that one. First straighten it out, and I'll see what we can do." Robin said, and soon they started to fix the problem.

" We should test it." Raven said handing it to Robin. He pushed the button and aimed at a piece of paper on the ground.

" It worked," Robin said a little surprised with himself.

" I knew you could do it," Raven said and they both blushed a little.

" Yeah, maybe too well. We just fixed a villains problem, it feels wrong." Robin said as he stared at the device in his hand.

" it mostly just to buy some time. Besides, we can reverse it." Raven said smiling at him, she was upset to get no response from the little bird.

" How do we do it without him knowing?" Robin asked her.

" I don't know, that's were you come in." She said looking at him expectantly.

" Maybe we could reverse the tracking signal, give him a different location for us, and reverse it to show us where he is!" Robin exclaimed as the idea came to him.

" And Robins back!" She said as Robin got to work.

" Check on the team, were going after Slade soon." Robin said. Raven was happy that he wasn't going to try to take down Slade by himself again, then she pulled out the communicator and contacted Starfire.

" How's it going over there?" Raven asked her.

" We have had little luck, but we have found one shipment and returned what was stolen. How is you task coming along?" Satrfire asked.

" We fixed the device and Robins finishing it up." She said, then paused." We're going after Slade. We're tracking him now."

" That is good, yes?"

" I guess it's something. Tell the others to be ready, we aren't exactly sure what he's planning." Raven said before hanging up as Starfire nodded.

Robin looked over at Raven and saw the worry in her eyes. He decided to change the subject." How did you manage to get out of school anyway?" He asked smirking a little.

" We, um, I kind of transported us to where I felt you were." Raven said blushing a little.

" From where?" Robin asked letting his curiosity show.

" The hero prep room." She mumbled.

" So, no one knows where you guys are?" He asked her.

" um, not really. I guess I didn't realize I wouldn't be coming back without you. I don't know why, but I thought we would be back." She said rubbing the back of her neck.

" Do you think you guys should go back?" Robin asked her.

" After we deal with this, I'll com up with an excuse." Raven wasn't too worried about it.

" Sure," Robin started, and then they both turned at the sound of Slades voice.

" Slade." Robin said under his breath turning around. They were both somewhat relived to see his face on a screen and not him in person.

" Done so soon? It looks like you had a little help. Can't really blame it all on you, she's an empathy right? And you have a bond?" Slade started." I hope you didn't share all of our little secrets, Robin. If you want to keep your precious friends out of harms way, I suggest you come meet me at this location." He said and then the locator started beeping. Then the screen turned, and they saw Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg all laying on the ground.

" No," Raven muttered under her breath at the sight of their friends.

" I suggest you come quickly." Slade said as the screen flashed off, and it started smoking and exploded.

" Raven, are you okay?" Robin called out between coughs.

" I'm alright, you?" She asked standing up and walking towards him.

" Fine." He said as he stood up.

" Where did it come from?" Raven asked him as the smoke cleared.

" It was one of the pieces I took out. I guess we can't rewire it now." He said picking up the device that luckily was still in tact.

" What was the location?" Raven asked as they left the building.

" Right where I told them to look. It's a warehouse just off the pier, underground too." Robin answered as he walked out the door.

" I can get us there." Raven said after a moment, and soon the two were consumed by her magic and ended up just outside the underground warehouse." What's with Slade and warehouses?"

" No idea, guess they can hide his tracks easier." Robin answered and Raven nodded and they headed in. The Robin stopped.

" What's wrong?" Raven asked him.

" Nothing, but, do you think I should go in alone?" He asked her.

" Robin," Raven started.

" I know, but you could follow out of sight, and get the others." He said. After a little convincing, Raven agreed and crawled up into the vent so she could watch., and then Robin headed in.

" Robin, smart to not bring your little friend along. I see you fixed the device." Slade said as he stepped towards Robin.

" First, the bombs." Robin said holding the device tighter in his hand.

" Oh, those, yes they are set and ready to go off. Next time, I suggest you listen when I make an agreement with." Slade said.

" There won't be a next time." He mumbled so that Slade couldn't hear.

" What was that?" Slade said as Robin mumbled nothing." Hand over the device so I can be on my way."

" Honestly, Slade, did you really think it would be that easy?" Robin said as Raven finished waking up the rest of the team.

" That's okay, I wasn't planning on easy." Slade said, and Robin got into a fighting stance." Just know this Robin, one more step, and this place goes up along with the school." Slade said holding up a trigger.

" You'd go down with us." Robin said.

" I would be able to get out, and my suit can protect me from the rubble. I'm willing to risk it, are you?" Robin thought about it, he knew he needed to give Slade the device. He also knew his friends needed to get out first. He didn't know how fast would realize the kind of adjustments Robin had made to it earlier.

" I give you the device, my friends get out." He said holding out Slades device to him.

" Robin, no!" He heard Starfire shout.

" Quiet, girl." Slade said waiting for Robin to make a move.

" Fine," Robin said and Slade took the object from the boys hands. Slade then threw a smoke bomb as he left.

" Since I did get what I came for, it's only fair to warn you. Your precious school has ten minutes before the bombs go off. Good luck." Slade said, and he was off.

" Robin, we have to get out of here. It's going up!" Raven shouted towards him. Robin turned around to see the flames that had started, and he heard a beeping in the distance. Next thing he knew, Raven was running out the door, with him right behind her. They all got out and watched as the building took fire.

" Should we call someone?" Starfire asked.

" I'll call a fire department." Cyborg said, and soon, they were told they would be on their way to put out the fire.

" It was all just a distraction." Robin said quietly.

" What was a distraction, Robin?" Raven asked crouching down next to him.

" This, when I was working on his little toy, he's was finishing up placing bombs in the school. We have to get there now. Guess you won't have to explain why you weren't there." Robin said, he was trying to ease the worried looks he was getting.

" Let us go and stop these bombs." Starfire said.

" It's not that easy, they're already set. We need to get everyone out, then work on damage control." Robin explained.

" Right, let's go." Beast Boy said turning into a cheetah and running towards the school. They all followed his lead. Raven had carried Robin and Starfire Cyborg, so it didn't take long to get to the school. They still had about seven minutes.

" Office, we can get to the speakers." Robin yelled as they approached the building.

" Got it," Cyborg said and ran into the office. He got a few gasps, but then a teacher who worked with hero prep recognized them. He was the leader, so he didn't train with them, but observed progress. The team didn't recognize him, because he didn't have his ring turned, but he still calmed everyone down, and they seemed to listen.

" What's going on?" The an asked the teens.

" Bombs, all over the school." Raven explained as Robin grabbed the microphone to the speaker.

" Who are you?" Starfire asked nicely.

" I'm one of the few teachers that have helped with your program that was recently closed, you can call me Mr. Norman." He said trying to stay calm.

" um, evacuation here!" Beast Boy yelled bringing their attention back to him.

" Right," And then Mr. Norman announced that they needed to make their way outside the building. He also pressed the fire alarm.

" So, you trusted us?" Robin asked as he wasn't expecting that.

" Hard not to listen to the boy wonder." He smiled and started to help evacuate the building.

" Come on, we have to find those bombs." Robin said calling his team over.

" How many?" Raven asked. Cyborg opened a screen o his arm, and after a second answered.

" Three." He said.

" Okay, location?" Robin asked.

" It was hard enough to get a reading, Slade hid them good." He answered.

" Let me try." And soon the boy wonder was hacking into the schools system for a source." There!" He yelled suddenly." Check out these two areas. I'll go find the other one." He said and jumped up. /he found an entrance to the vents and followed along in search of the bomb.

" I'll go with him, if you three can handle it." Raven said knowing that leaving Robin in an unknown place with a bomb wasn't a smart move.

" We'll handle it." Cyborg said.

" Have fun love birds." Beast Boy said snickering a little, and was slapped in the back of the head by Raven before she ran off.

* * *

**The story is almost over, I hope you are enjoying how it's all coming together. Hope you enjoyed, thanks for reading. Please leave a review telling me what you thought :)**


	33. Chapter 33

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed in the past, anyone who has continued to read, and to everyone who has followed and for the favorites! **

** Special thanks to Teen titans fan 121 for mentioning my story. If you haven't already, please go read it and leave a review. It's really good, it's called The Pregnancy Test, she has another called Hard Choices, both RobRae and really good. If you have any stories you think I should check out, or stories you've written and want me to read, let me know and I'll check them out and leave a review!**

**Poisonous. Gunners: Thanks for the follow!**

**dragonfox123: Thanks for the favorites and the follows, love the support!**

**Apple Bougher: Thanks for the follows and favorites, means a lot. I'm glad you like it, and thanks for the tips! I hope you like how I incorporated your idea, I couldn't do another fight scene, but I thought this would be cool. Also, loved your story! It was a great first chapter, so you guys should go check it out. It's called Teen Titans: The Annual Superhero Assessments. Please go check it out and leave a review!**

**ThisIsWheretheNameGoes: They do work great under pressure, I'm glad you like how I'm writing this :)**

**afraidofspiders: I'm glad you liked it, and the plan. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thanks for the great review :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, or anything from DC**

* * *

Normal POV

" Here we are at Gotham Academy, where the fire started. I have been told that there are three bombs inside along with a team of five super teens. One of these teens has been reported to be, Robin, the boy wonder. Firemen are working on putting the fire out from the outside, they are also trying to remove some of the debris. It has been reported that several students, beside the team, are still trapped in the building." The newscaster spoke into the camera calmly, although she was worried for the students still trapped inside, the she put a finger to hear earpiece and listened. " What's that? I have just been informed that the team inside has successfully disarmed two out of the three bombs and are currently working to find the third bomb and are on their way!" She finished feeling relieved as they went to interview some of the students.

OooOooO

The team had about five minuets to find the last bomb. Robin and Raven were trying to find the bomb, as Starfire and Beast Boy looked for the kids. Cyborg was trying to get the debris away to make an exit, he was also scanning the area for the bomb and the missing kids.

" Stay quiet, we need to find out who's following us." Robin whispered, Raven nodded and looked around. When she looked back, the bird was gone. He had done the ninja thing and disappeared. She started to follow slowly, then she heard him scream, it was quickly gagged. Not knowing the cause, she panicked and a light bulb shattered.

" Robin!" Raven shouted as she picked up speed and came around the corner to see Robin on the ground trying to suppress the urge to scream. He was slightly rocking back and forth clutching his leg.

" It's nothing." The boy on the ground said quietly. Raven looked around the room. Robin was leaning against the gym room wall. She couldn't see very well, as the lights had gone out with the fire. Then there was the fire, it had caused the building to start collapsing. Between the debris and smoke, it was hard to see, breathing also caused a problem. Then, Robin let out a gasp as another wave of pain hit him.

" Yeah, nothing." She said sarcastically as she reached out and grabbed his hands. At first, he hesitated, but then released his leg." Care to explain what happened?"

" Jester. He shot me, it was one of Jokers silent yet deadly guns. I don't think he was trying t kill me, though." He said as he started to cough trying to find air to replace the smoke in his lungs.

" Okay, I have to take the bullet out, and then I can deal with the pain." Raven said soothingly and the boy nodded. Soon, she chanted her mantra and the bullet wiggled its way out and a small gasp escaped from Robins pale, oxygen deprived lips. He had also been knocked down by some debris that landed on him earlier, so that didn't help his breathing much. Then, Raven's hands glowed a light electric blue as she healed his leg. Raven moaned as she absorbed the pain from Robins leg." Your leg was broke, I was able to turn it into a fracture, so take it easy until we can get it wrapped."

" Glad I followed you then?" She asked helping him up.

" It wasn't all bad." He said as he leaned on her for support, and he started hopping." I'm sorry. I overreacted, and for no reason."

" You had to deal with it in the only way you knew how. Protect and deal with it on your own, it's okay, just know you don't have to push me away." She said with a small smile.

" So we're okay?" He asked and Raven nodded.

" Cyborg to Robin." Came the sound from his communicator.

" Robin here, what's the problem?" He asked looking at his cracked communicator.

" Not a problem exactly, but I found the bomb, Jester moved it. Sending coordinates." Cyborg said, then the two were on their way and Cyborg got back to his work.

" Starfire and Beast Boy, any luck finding the kids?" Raven asked calling the other two.

" Yes, we have found all three. We are now taking them to the men of fire's trucks to get them more help. Have you had the luck with the bomb?" Starfire asked her.

" We are about to go disarm it now." Robin said before Raven could answer.

" Do you need help?" Beast Boy said showing up on the screen that was threatening to be taken over by static.

" We can handle this, help Cyborg with damage control and the debris. Try to put out the fire." Robin said going back into leader mode.

" Got it." And then the two were gone as they went to do their jobs, and the birds were now looking at a bomb. After a while, they spotted it and Robin started to tinker with it as Raven tried to make sure the building didn't fall down on them.

" Raven, can you put a force field around the bomb?" Robin asked after tinkering with it for a while.

" Yeah, why?" She asked in a worried voice.

" The bomb, it's going to go off no matter what." He said in a frustrated voice, and as if on cue, it started beeping rapidly. Raven quickly surrounded it in her magic as it went off. The two birds were thrown out of the building from the impact.

_" I'm sorry."_ Raven said through their bond.

_" What for?"_ Robin asked as they started to fall.

_" I was too slow." _She said, and then, the two landed on a giant green bird.

" Thanks for the lift, Beast Boy." Robin said as they landed.

" No problem." He said morphing back into his human form. Robin stood on his bad leg and his knee gave out.

" Dude!" Beast Boy said in shock.

" I told you not to put pressure on it." Raven said in a motherly voice as the two helped Robin up.

" Yeah, yeah. Where are the others?" Robin asked looking around and then spotted them.

" Over here!" Starfire said happily, as she waved at the group of three.

" You okay?" Cyborg asked looking at Robin's leg.

Robin started to say he was fine, then Raven cut in." He's not fine, fractured leg. He got shot, I was able to get the bullet out, but it caused his leg to break. I was luckily able to turn it into a fracture. He'll probably need a cast for a week or so."

" Got it, come here." Cyborg said and walked over to a paramedic with Robin leaning against him. Robin's leg was quickly wrapped, and they went over to make sure everything was under control.

" Thanks for the help kids, although, I don't think the school is going to make it." Said the principle walking over to them." Neither will the program." He said in a quiet voice.

" Program or not, the Teen Titans did good work, besides, the building was overdue for remodeling." Said Mr. Norman with a smile on his face.

" Yes, they did." Said a deep voice. Robin turned and saw Batman.

" I'll be right back guys." Robin said and walked over to his mentor.

" You did good work, I guess you were serious about your team." Batman said looking at his protégé and putting a hand on his shoulder.

" Yeah, you think it will work?" Robin asked him quietly referring to the team.

" If you want it to, it will." He said, and Robin nodded. He felt happy that Batman was excepting his want for a team, and even supporting it.

" Was there another reason you came here?" Robin asked him.

" Yes, Slade was spotted in New York, trying to get some cargo or something." He paused." Think you can handle it?"

" No problem always wanted to go to New York." Robin said giving the man a smile and then headed off. He told the team about the lead, and soon they were off. Raven teleported them to the sighting, it was on an island. Robin spotted Slade and ran off with his team following behind.

" Slade." Robin growled as he got into a fighting stance, the rest of the team followed his lead and guarded the entrance.

" Ah, Robin. I was wondering when you and your friends would show up." Slade said slyly as he turned around.

" What do you want anyway?" Cyborg asked.

" Why don't you ask Robin? He seems to have a reason to be here, don't you Robin?" The team all turned to Robin at Slades response.

" The weapon, Slade, where is it?" Robin asked, you could hear the anger in his voice.

" Weapon? I do not see the weapon." Starfire said confused.

" The weapon that you helped me with is in production. You did good work, with a few minor problems we can _easily_ work out." Slade said. Robin didn't like the way he emphasized easy, he knew Slade meant he had found the trackers.

" Like Robin actually helped you. Ha!" Beast Boy laughed.

" Oh he did, whether he wants to admit it or not. I got the result I wanted." Slade said darkly.

" We've had enough of your games, Slade. What do you want?" Raven asked. Her monotone switching into a slightly annoyed and bored voice.

" Patience, child." Slade said teasingly." I can deal with you later, right now, I have to deal with boy wonder over here." Slade finished and the team advanced a little closer to him.

" What did you want the weapon for anyway?" Robin questioned.

" Not for the reason you think, I can assure you. I like to think of it as more of a test, or an assessment." He said.

" And what were those for?" Robin continued, he and Slade were now circling each other.

" You'll learn in time." Slade said and he attacked Robin. Robin was prepared, and quickly threw him off. He chased Slade into the back of the warehouse and started hand to hand.

" Find the weapons that are in the warehouse, and destroy them!" Robin yelled as he blocked a kick to the chest, he quickly tossed the leg to the side, but Slade soon recovered and began again.

" How do we know which ones are his?" Raven asked.

" I think I know." Beast Boy said holding up a weapon with an 'S' on it.

" I do believe you are correct." Starfire said.

" Well, get blasting!" Cyborg said and they began to destroy the devices.

" Why me?" Robin asked the man as he through a birdarang at Slade.

" You make a very interesting test subject, Robin." Slade answered as he dodged what was thrown at him.

" How did you know about the program?" He asked, this time sending a kick to Slade's head. Slade was to slow, and couldn't dodge it taking full blow and landing with a thud.

" Please, the program wasn't meant to last long anyway. The league just wanted to keep tabs on new young super powered teens, or lack there of." Slade said.

Part of this was true. Yes, the program wasn't meant to last long, and it was only partially to keep tabs. The League also wanted to give them an option to train. After this year, they would be tested, and then accepted into League training if they wished. The school was planning on breaking apart to focus more on academics, having the main school stay in Gotham, so it was the perfect year to do the program.

" You don't know what you're talking about, just trying to distract me." Robin said, although, working with Batman did let him into the files, so he knew what was happening.

" Smart, Robin, and yet you still question." Slade said in a light tone.

" What am I questioning Slade?" He asked. They had been rolling on the ground, and then, Slade kicked him in the chest sending the boy flying backwards and landing with a groan. His leg was still injured, and the landing hurt his ribs.

" You asked why you, this is why. You have potential, and I'm just doing you a favor." Slade said walking up to the boy.

" Please, you wouldn't do anything unless you got something out of it." Robin said jumping into a fighting stance again.

" Right again, but I can pass my knowledge onto you, and I would gain from that." Slade said.

They began to fight once more, and then Slade hit him in the chest, and the boy started to cough once more. It was painful and ragged, a result from the smoke, he assumed. Then, Slade grabbed one of the weapons that was on the ground and grabbed Robin by the neck and held the object to his head.

" Robin!" Raven gasped looking towards the now bleeding boy.

" One move, and boy blunder here gets it." Slade said and the team froze as they watched Robin struggle." That goes for you to boy." And the boy stopped struggling.

" Please, release our friend." Starfire said in a strong voice.

" You destroy my possessions, it's only fair I return the favor." Slade said as he tightened the grip on Robin's throat.

" You use this stuff for evil purpose." Cyborg said.

" And?" Slade asked sarcastically as he pushed the weapon closer to Robin.

" Azarath! Metrion! Zinthos!" Raven shouted. The gun-like device flew into the air and Raven walked closer. She pointed her hand towards Slade, and he too was lifted in the air dropping Robin. Wind was flying everywhere as Raven tried to concentrate on Slade.

" You don't hurt my friends!" Raven shouted throwing him against a wall and dropping him. The rest of the team, except Robin, ran towards Slade, as Raven checked on Robin. Raven helped Robin walk, well more like limp, towards the others. Then, a screen showed up on the mans face. They inspected it closer and saw dents all across what looked like metal.

" It's been fun, but I should be on my way." The voice said and it started to tick. They heard a loud buzzing sound, and then beeping.

" This place is gonna blow!" Cyborg shouted." Everybody out, now!"

The team ran out just as the building came crashing down.

" That was weird." Beast Boy said panting a little.

" Yes, I agree, that was the weird." Starfire said.

" Was it a robot the entire time?" Cyborg asked as Raven leaned the boy wonder against a rock.

" Don't know." Robin said between coughs.

" Here." Raven said, and then Robin relaxed a little and continued.

" Did you get rid of it all?" Robin asked referring to the weapons as Raven helped take smoke from his lungs.

" Well," Beast Boy said rubbing the back of his neck.

" We thought you might want to keep one." Starfire added.

" Good idea, maybe we can find out more about him." Robin said giving them a smile as they showed him the weapon they kept.

" We did it! We stopped him, and we saved an entire school. Are we awesome or what?" Beast Boy said. They did, they had stopped Slade, the device was with them, not Slade. Even Robin felt happy with their success.

" I'm only gonna say this once, booyah!" Cyborg said.

" This was very of the cool! We worked well as a team." Starfire said. They all sat down next to Robin and watched the sun set as they thought about the last few weeks.

" Someone should build a house out here." Cyborg said after a while.

" Yeah, if you like the sun, and the beach." Beast Boy said as he playfully poked Raven in the side with his elbow.

" You know, you're kind of funny." Raven said giving a small laugh.

" Really? You think I'm funny? Oh, I know some jokes!" Beast boy said excitedly and began to tell some and receiving groans from the team.

" Now here's the question." Raven said." What do we do now?"

" Well, Cyborg and I thought we would want to stay in touch. So, we fixed up the communicators." Robin said and Cyborg handed them out. They were yellow with a black 'T' on them.

" This is so cool! It's like were a real team now!" Beast Boy said.

" We are a team, yes?" Starfire asked and looked at Robin. Robin looked at everyone.

" I guess we are." He said with a bright smile.

Three weeks later...

The team was in the main room. Raven was reading a book, Starfire was cooking, Beast Boy and Cyborg were yelling at each other as they played Mega Monkeys Two. Robin, however, wasn't anywhere to be found. The team had gotten used to this, though. Some days he would want to hang out, others he would want to dive into old crime files. Today, he was working on a 'surprise'. The team wasn't too sure about it by the way Robin smiled and ran off when they asked earlier that morning. He had been working on it about a week after he got his cast off.

" Ha! I win again, grass stain!" Cyborg shouted as the scores flashed across the screen announcing Cyborg as the winner.

" No way, Dude! You're cheating!" Beast Boy yelled angrily.

" Tell yourself whatever makes you feel better." Raven said in her monotone as she finished the last page of her book and put it down.

" It's finished!" Robin said excitedly as he ran into the room.

" Oh that is most glorious! What is finished?" Starfire asked.

" That would be the boy wonders little project he's been keeping from us for the past few days." Raven said in a slightly annoyed voice.

" If you knew what it was, it wouldn't be a surprise." Robin lightly teased.

" Whatever you say. So what's the 'surprise' anyway?" Beast Boy asked as Cyborg turned the game off.

" Come on and I'll show you." Robin said gesturing them to follow him as he left the room and headed down the hall.

" It is only a training course?" Starfire asked.

" So this is what you've been up to all morning." Cyborg said as he looked at all the cool tech, he was impressed. He had secretly been helping Robin, but didn't look at it yesterday or this morning.

" Yep, and it's finally finished!" He said once again, and headed up to a control panel.

" So, what do we use it for?" Beast Boy asked.

" Training, obviously." Raven said and rolled her eyes at him.

" We can test individually depending in your powers, it also has hand to hand combat simulators. Look, it can change what's around it too!" Robin said and pushed a button. They watched the scene change from the training course to what looked like an antique shop, then it changed to a park, then to a warehouse, and back to its orignal training course.

" I knew you were almost done, but I didn't think it would be ready this soon, especially since I said I had to beat Beast Boy in some video games today." Cyborg said teasing a little.

" Hey! I won!" Beast Boy argued.

" Yeah, once, and I don't think that counts, since you attacked Cyborg making him drop the controller, and you still just barely won." Raven said.

" Whatever." Beast Boy huffed.

" Thanks for the help, Cyborg. Your computers really made this way cooler!" Robin said smiling again, the team all turned to look at Cyborg.

" So, when we asked you what you were doing and where Robin was, you knew?" Beast Boy asked frustrated.

" Well, he wanted it to be a surprise, but he needed some of my tech to do it. Besides, you were to busy getting your butt kicked to eve notice." Cyborg said and Beast Boy glared at him.

" I did not-" Beast Boy was cut short as Robin interrupted before a fight could break out again.

" So who wants to go first? It times you and gives you a score, so we can see what we need to work on." Robin explained.

" It is like the contest, yes?" Starfire asked excitedly.

" I guess, yeah." Cyborg said.

" Well, if it's a contest, the winner gets to pick what pizza toppings we get!" Beast Boy said after thinking it over.

" No way! You'll get that gross tofu stuff!" Cyborg said disgusted.

" What? Afraid you'll lose?" Beast Boy taunted.

" Oh, you're on, and loser has to buy the pizza!" Cyborg shouted as he ran to the beginning of the simulator.

After training, and going over results, the team gathered around a table eating pizza. Cyborg and Beast Boy were fighting about meat and tofu, as Robin tried to break up the fight. Starfire was enjoying her pizza with mustard and was asking Raven to join her to go to the mall of shopping the next day. Beast Boy started to make jokes, and Raven made sarcastic remarks, as the others laughed. Soon, they were all laughing and talking about nothing in particular, happy to be with their friends. Just another day for the Teen Titans.

* * *

**And done! I hope you liked the ending. I made it longer since it's the last chapter. Thanks for reading my story, it means a lot! Please leave a review, and check out my other stories. If you have an idea for my next story, PM me or leave a review. Thanks again :)**


End file.
